


Sometimes Hard Things Happen to Good Skeletons

by SheenaKazia



Series: Hard times [1]
Category: Underfell - Fandom, Underswap - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Other, Vague mentions of gaster from both AUs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-09-23 10:09:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 37
Words: 77,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9651212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheenaKazia/pseuds/SheenaKazia
Summary: Underswap Sans falls ill leaving his brother to take care of him. Meanwhile the underfell skeleton brothers decide to leave their horrible universe behind and end up in underswap.





	1. Carelessness

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fiction please be polite and if you see any grammar errors or tags you think I should add please tell me in the comments below.
> 
> Character stats  
> Blue (swap sans)  
> Hp 27  
> LV 0  
> Abilities- Is skillful at healing, teleports, blasters, blue magic, and cooking.
> 
> Stretch (swap papyrus)  
> HP 120  
> LV 0  
> Abilities- moderate healing magic, blasters, blue magic, near perfect control of his magic science.
> 
> Red (Underfell sans)  
> HP 1  
> LV 5  
> Abilities- red magic (same as blue, almost) blasters, teleports, science
> 
> Edge (Underfell papyrus)  
> HP 1235  
> LV 15  
> Abilities- red magic, blasters, special bone attacks and camouflage (uses magic to hide himself)

“hope you're ready for the next one, Blue” Alphys growled, her armor reflecting the dim lights of Waterfall’s glowing mushrooms. Blue panting slightly straightened up twirling the light blue bone in his hands.

“MWEH HEH HEH! I, THE SANS-SATIONAL, SANS, AM ALWAYS READY ALPHYS” Blue declared chest out and hands on his hips. His bright blue eyelights shining in star shapes.

Alphas rolled her eyes at the pun before launching the next volley of attacks at Blue. “Come on Blue don't lose your focus” she warned as the little skeleton quickly dodged the attacks spinning gracefully out of the way. “Blue you have block as well, you won't always be able to dodge” she chided, normally she'd be all over a monster for dodging it was cowardly in her eyes, but with 270 HP points, ten times the HP that blue had she could afford to get up close and personal in a fight. She could take the hit. But Blue . . .

“R-RIGHT!” Blue said a little shaky and nervously checked his HP (16/27). He'd already taken one blow trying to block the guard captain’s axes, but he could give blocking one more try. “READY WHEN YOU ARE!”

“Alright, here it comes!” Alphys said throwing another barrage of axes at him. Blue blocked some of them before falling back into dodging at the end. The end of his blue bandana tearing as one of the axes barely missed him. “Blue? Is something wrong? Normally I can't get anywhere near you my attacks”

“OF COURSE NOT! I'M JUST” Blue stopped trying to catch his breath. “I'M JUST REALLY DETERMINED TO GET BLOCKING DOWN! TODAY! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DOWN!” he flipped his blue bone over in his hand before summoning a second white one in his other hand. “I'M GOING TO WORK HARD AND IMPRESS YOU SO I CAN FINALLY JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD!”

“Let's see it then” She said feeling slightly guiltily as they continued their training. Blue was more than strong enough to join the guard, but he was so nice, too nice. He'd get dusted if he ever came across a real killer. That and the low HP, Alphys had never met a monster with HP below 50 until she met Blue. 27 HP she could dust him in two hits if she wasn't careful. 27 was also a weird number HP points always comes in sets of five so how did Blue have 27?

“ALPHYS?! DID YOU SEE THAT!” Blue cheered loudly breaking her from her train of thought. She looked at the blue skeleton puzzled for a split second before noticing that none of glowing mushrooms at his feet hadn't dimmed meaning. . .

“You blocked them all? Without dodging? Well I'm almost impressed. Wanna check and see if it was just luck” she asked with a soft chuckle. As she summoned more axes ready to launch at the skeleton. He hesitated for moment before nodding and getting ready. She launched the attack and watched as sans blocked. The attack consisted of seven axes and Blue blocked the two perfectly but he slipped up the tiniest bit on the third, still blocking it but making so that he had to hurry to block the fourth. The fifth shattered the white bone he hurried dodge the sixth and seventh slammed into exposed side. “SANS!”

Blue hit the ground gasping as everything blurred and a loud ringing bounced around in his skull. He was barely aware of Alphys at his side checking his HP. 4/27 Shit! Papyrus was going to kill her for this. She shook her head before pulling out her cell phone and calling up the first number she could think of.

“H-h-hel-llo” the stammering fish monster answered. “A-alphys, wh-what’s u-up”

“Undyne how quickly can you get to my house?” Alphys asked in a serious tone.

“Wh-why? Wh-what h-happened?”

“I was training with Blue and he got hurt. Undyne I can't heal, so please I need your help”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ **Fuck you, boss”** Red growled shoving his brother into his bedroom door. **“why don't you just go in your room and leave me the hell alone!”**

 **“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!”** Edge yelled at his brother as he shoved his brother back. A small alarm going off in the back of his head that they shouldn't fighting right at the top of stairs. That warning was however easily pushed out of the way by his anger. “ **I WOULD GLADLY LEAVE YOUR WORTHLESS ASS ALONE IF IT'D EVER GET UP DO WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO WITHOUT MY SCREAMING AT IT!”**

Red was already beyond pissed and drunk. Edge had just stormed into Grillby’s and plucked him out of his seat dragging him home, and for what to yell at him and tell him he's worthless. “ **You know what boss I'm sick and tired of hearing about how shitty you think I am!”** he summoned a bone and struck his brother under the jaw. Edge’s eyes went unfocused for a second before everything turned red.

 **“YOU JUST FUCKED UP”** Edge snarled before backhanding Red. **“YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WAS OUT DRINKING UNTIL THREE IN MORNING! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH A SINGLE HP! SO YES I THINK IT'S A PRETTY SHITTY THING OF YOU TO DO! TO RISK GETTING YOURSELF DUSTED BY THOSE ASSHOLES OUT THERE! DO YOU EVEN CARE IF YOU-”** Edge stopped his rant when he noticed that Red wasn't in front of him. At first he was furious thinking his brother had teleported away to his bedroom or something, but then he looked down at the pile of black fabric and bones at the bottom of the stairs. His soul froze in his chest. “ **OH MY GOD! SANS!”**

Edge jumped the stairs three at a time landing on his knees beside his brother. Red groaned but made no attempt to move. “ **S-SANS ARE YOU OKAY? HOW BAD ARE YOU. . .”** Edge trailed off trying to roll his brother over without hurting him worse. He gasped when he saw the dark red marrow spilling from the newly formed crack in his brother's skull. It ran from his left eye up about four inches. Quickly he checked Red’s HP 0.5/1 “ **I'M SO SORRY BROTHER”** he whispered as he picked up his unconscious brother. He placed Red on the couch before running into the kitchen grabbing a bowl of water and a first aid kit.

“ **ughnn”** Red groaned raising his hand to his throbbing head. He jumped when a gloved hand pulled his away before he could touch his face. Edge was kneeling on the floor by his head with a soaked rag in his hand. “ **What? Knocking me down the stairs not enough? You gonna break my wrist too?”**

 **“SANS NO. . . I'D NEVER”** Edge looked away from his brother. How could he say he'd never hurt his brother when he just put a crack down his skull. **“IT'S CRACKED, YOUR EYE SOCKET, I MEAN”** Edge mumbled letting go of his brother's arm.

 **“so what? you so proud of your handy work that I'm not allowed to hide it”** Red snapped bringing his hand to the injured socket. Edge flinched and shifted away from his brother. He knew it was the mustard talking. Red had always been a mean drunk saying shit he didn't mean. Normally Edge just brought Red home and locked himself in his room till his brother sobered up. **“I mean was it really too much effort to use some healing magic? It's gonna scar if not”**

 **“I CAN'T . . . I CAN'T USE HEALING MAGIC . . . ANYMORE”** Edge said quietly, his hands curling into fists on his lap. He hadn't been able to cast even the most basic healing spell since his LV had reach 12 that had been four months ago. **“BUT I CAN CLEAN IT AND COVER IT . . . IF YOU . . . WANT ME TO”** Edge offered weakly starting at the floor. Why would Red want him to, it was his hands that did this to him.

 **“wait, since when can't you use healing magic? When did that happen?”** Red asked pulling himself up, noticing that he was on there lumpy couch that really wasn't any better than the floor, but it was enough to make him feel bad for running his mouth.

 **“A WHILE AGO, A FEW MONTHS ANYWAY”** Edge answered eyelights still locked on the floor, like he was trying to burn a hole into the floor. One that he could preferably bury himself in.

 **“why didn't you say anything”** Red growled exasperated. The mustard was finally leaving his head and he was thinking straight. He checked Edges stats and gasped in shock. HP 1234/1235 LV 15. **“B-boss, Papyrus how could. . . How could you do this to yourself! Even that fish bitch Undyne stopped at 10! Higher than that can drive you insane! What the hell are you thinking?!”** Red was now scared for his little brother. Most people thought Undyne was crazy bringing her level up to ten. Even a world of kill or be killed has a limit to how far you should go, and here his brother sits with an LV of 15!

 **“WHAT CHOICE DO I HAVE! YOU HAVE ONE HP! THEY'D TRY TO KILL YOU IF I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO STOP THEM! I HAD TO PROTECT YOU”** Edge said sitting down and bringing his knees to his chest.

 **“Papyrus that's not an excu- . . . Wait had? Did you mean have?”** Red said looking at his brother with a bit of panic building in his soul.

Edge shook his head before dropping it onto his knees speaking to them instead of his brother. “ **HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PROTECT ANYONE, WHEN I CAN'T PROTECT MY OWN BROTHER FROM MYSELF! I'M ALWAYS CALLING YOU WORTHLESS BUT I CAN'T EVEN HANDLE PROTECTING MY OWN FAMILY! MY OWN BROTHER ISN'T EVEN SAFE AROUND ME”**

 **“Whoa, Bro, calm down. I started it. It was my fa-”** Red tried to say but Edge cut him off.

 **“YOU'RE NOT THE ONE WHO THREW SOMEONE DOWN THE STAIRS! YOU DIDN'T ALMOST KILL YOUR BROTHER!”** Edge was yelling again but this time there was no anger in it. He jumped to his feet and ran up into bedroom so Red wouldn't see him break down any further. **_HOW? HOW COULD I LOSE IT LIKE THAT? I'VE BEEN SO CAREFUL ABOUT THIS FOR OVER A YEAR AND ONE NIGHT AND I ALMOST UNDO ALL OF IT! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME! IF SANS HAD ANY LOWER DEFENSE GETTING HITTING COULD HAVE . . . I NEARLY KILLED MY OWN BROTHER!_ ** Edge thought angrily as he curled up in front of his door.

Red had tried to follow Edge but was stopped by the pain that shot down his spine. He winced pretty sure there were going to be bruises along his back. By the time he had made it to his feet Edge had locked himself in his room. He shuffled up stairs clutching the banister tightly so he didn't fall back down. **“Bro, open the door, please”** Red said while knocking on the door. There was a slight shuffle but the door was still locked when he tried the handle. **“Bro please I'm begging you, open the door. We need to talk”** Red waited but when Edge still didn't open the door he sighed and teleported into Edge’s room.

 **“SANS WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE. I WANT TO BE ALONE RIGHT NOW”** Edge said without looking up. He'd heard the silent popping sound of the shorter skeleton’s magic. He'd been hoping Red would just leave him alone, but obviously not.

“ **Bro, we need to talk. You never should have raised your LV that high. You can't let it get any higher or it will drive you crazy”** Red said honestly surprised his brother was still so much the same. Undyne had turned into a bitch after her LV hit 8 and Alphys was certifiably insane after 13 but she was deemed too clever to be killed so now she had an LV of 17.

 **“I CAN'T LOSE YOU! YOU'RE MY ONLY FAMILY. AND RAISING MY LV IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN PROTECT YOU IN THIS WORLD. SANS I HAVE TO DO THIS”** Edge said standing up as Red came to stand by him. Red took his brother's hand and dragged him over to the bed. He sat down on the crimson comforter and pulled Edge down with him.

 **“Bro, you might right. Raising your LV might be the only way you can protect us in** **_this world_ ** **, but I might know a way for us to get away from this world and into a newer more safer one”** Red said laying down on the bed and pulling on Edge’s blood red scarf till his brother was laying down next to him. **“We'll get out of here, and we'll be safe”**


	2. Families just work like that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swap Bros get into a fight and the fell Bros get over theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a warning. I really like puns. It's one of the reasons I love undertale. My goal is to get one pun in per chapter so if you like puns you're in luck if you don't like puns . . . I'm sorry.  
> *not all the puns will be dialog from the characters. Sometimes I'll slip them into the writing itself.  
> *also I won't be updating this daily, the goal is at least every Friday more if I can.

Blue woke up with a burning pain in his right side. He opened his eyes to see the pale yellow white striped wall paper of Alphys’ living room. He was lying on his left side facing the wall with the TV and bookshelf. Carefully he shifted into a sitting up position trying to ignore the complaint form his side.

“Oh, blue you're awake! Took ya long enough you bonehead” Alphys said as she walked over to the couch. “I thought we agreed that you'd tell me when your HP dropped below 15”

“YES, WE DID.” Blue said slightly confused. He tilted his head in confusion before drawing the pieces together. “ALPHYS I STILL HAD 16 POINTS BEFORE THAT! I WOULDN'T BREAK SUCH AN IMPORTANT AGREEMENT” he answered slightly offended that Alphys thought he'd lie to her about something like that.

“You sure kid, your HP dropped to 4 points after you took that hit” Alphys said a bit of nervousness showed in her eyes and the way she started chewing the end of her smallest claw. “I thought you gonna dust for a second”

“IT DROPPED TO 4?” Blue repeated in shock. Normally Alphys restrained her attacks so they only did 4 or 5 damage. He couldn't believe that his HP had dropped so low. “I'M SORRY TO HAVE WORRIED YOU ALPHYS BUT I'M FINE NOW!”

“Just be careful we restored your HP but your ribs are still cracked” Alphys warned as Blue jumped to his feet. He winced at the stirring pain but kept a smile on his face.

“GOT IT BE CAREFUL AND NO SKULLING AROUND” Blue said as Alphys groaned but he heard a nervous bit of laughter as Undyne walked in with a couple bowls of instant noodles.

“H-How a-are y-you f-feeling, B-blue?” the gentle fish monster asked biting her lip in her usual nervousness. She hand one bowl to Alphys and offered the other to Blue, who shook his head.

“I'M FINE I'VE GOT TACOS BACK HOME” Blue said with a smile before looking at the clock. His jaw fell open he was almost a half hour late getting home. “OH NO! PAPY IS GOING TO BE SO WORRIED ABOUT ME! I'M LATE!” Blue said a bit shocked that his brother wasn't already here looking for him.

“Umm, B-blue P-p-papyrus j-just c-called ac-actually he's o-on h-his w-way to g-get y-you r-right n-now” Undyne stammered looking a little more on edge than normal. “Y-you sh-should p-probably s-sit D-down bef-fore h-he g-gets h-here”

Suddenly Alphys’s front door slams open, making both the girls jump. Not many monsters would dare barge into the house of the captain of the royal, and even fewer would dare to cross the hoodie wearing skeleton that quickly emerged in the living room. His left eye glowing with a fire like orange magic.

“What the hell Alphys!” Stretch demanded walking over to the armored lizard.

“PAPY! LANGUAGE” Blue chastised pouting and resting his hands on his hips. “BESIDES IT WAS ACCIDENT! IT COULD HAVE WITH ANYONE”

“Your HP dropped to 4! That sounds more like carelessness than an accident to me!” Stretch snarled back though clearly trying to hold his temper back.

“WELL THEN IT'D BE MY FAULT BROTHER.  SHE ASKED IF I WANTED TO STOP AND I DECIDED TO KEEP GOING” Blue said standing his ground and folding his arms across his chest. He yelped when the action put weight on his bad side.

“Bro, you okay?” Stretch asked crouching down so he was level with Blue’s eyes. Blue nodded quickly not wanting to worry the others. He could handle a bit of pain this was just a mild discomfort really . . . Well mostly.

“I'M FINE PAPY, BUT COULD WE HEAD HOME? I'M HUNGRY” Blue said hoping to distract his brother from his rant. Stretch sighed but nodded grabbing Blue's hand. Blue smiled up at his brother. “THANKS PAPY! OH I BET IF WE HURRY WE CAN CATCH NAPSTATON’S SHOW TONIGHT!” Blue said excitedly as the two skeletons left Alphys’s house, missing the dirty look Stretch gave Alphys as they left.

Stretch stayed quiet until they were on the river person's boat and on their way back to Snowdin. He looked down at the little skeleton watching as he leaned over and watched the water rush by. Stretch frowned as he noticed Blue was favoring his right side. “Bro, maybe you should stop training with Alphys”

“WHAT?! WHY WOULD I DO THAT? IT'LL TAKE EVEN LONGER TO GET INTO THE ROYAL GUARD OF I DON'T TRAIN!” Blue said looking up at his brother with a brow bone raised. Stretch shifted slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. He looked at Blue for a moment before sighing.

“Blue, maybe you shouldn't join the royal guard” Stretch said quietly looking at Blue, who looked completely mortified at the suggestion. “Bro you almost got dusted just from training. If it'd been a real mission you'd be dead right now”

“IT WAS ACCIDENT PAPY! AND I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE UP BECAUSE OF ONE INCIDENT! I'VE TRAINING FOR YEARS AND I'M GETTING CLOSE TO JOINING! I KNOW IT” Blue all but growled at his brother. His eyelights going out leveling a dark stare at Stretch.

“Bro she's not going to let you in! Most monsters could kill you by accident! If she's any sort of captain she wouldn't put someone like you in the guard! It is a waste of time and it's going to get you killed if you keep tr-” Stretch was cut short by Blue slamming his boney first down on the boat, wood and bone clinking together loudly.

“YOU'RE WRONG! SHE SAID I WAS CLOSE THAT I WAS ALMOST READY! SO YOU ARE WRONG! I TRUST ALPHYS! SHE WOULDN'T LIE TO ME!” Blue yelled at him eyes still dark as he glared at his brother.

“Bro, look at what happened to day! It wasn't even a real fight! It was stupid to ever have started this!” Stretch said his own eyelights going dark. “SANS, this is going to get you killed and I'm not go-” Stretch was cut off as blue magic encased his soul and slammed him face down in the boat.

“I'M AN ADULT, PAPYRUS, SO I DON'T NEED YOUR APPROVAL TO CONTINUE TRAINING WITH ROYAL GUARD! HOWEVER IF YOU GOING TO TRY AND GET IN MY WAY THEN I'M LEAVING.” Blue said just before his right eye lit up with bright blue magic and he blipped from the boat. The blue magic left Stretch’s soul and he shot up looking for any sign of Blue.

“Sans!” he called for his brother, but nobody came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For once in his life Red was first to wake up. He was still lying next to Edge, but during the course of the night he somehow managed to tangle himself up in brother's scarf. Which wouldn't have been to bad except that the damn thing was still wrapped around Edge’s neck. Carefully Red tried to unwind the fabric that was wrapped around his spine just below his ribs. He shifted his weight trying to get it out from under him, when his brother's eyes flashed open.

“ **BROTHER? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”** Edge asked looking at Red with confusion. Red wiggled in the scarf for a few more minutes before sighing and giving up.

 **“Think ya can help me out of this one? I'm a bit tied up, at the moment”** Red asked looking up his brother who groaned and rolled his eyes. Red smirked **“Come on ya smiling”**

 **“I AM AND I HATE IT”** Edge said as he began untangling his brother from the scarf. **“HOW DID YOU EVEN MANAGE TO GET IT TANGLED THROUGH YOUR RIBS?”**

 **“heh I'm knot sure, Boss. Maybe you could rope up some answers”** Red joked as brother carefully removed the scarf from his ribs.

 **“SANS I SWEAR TO ASGORE YOU MAKE ONE MORE PUN THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING AND I'M LEAVING YOU TIRED UP LIKE THIS”** Edge warned his hands stopping for a second to prove he's serious.

“ **alright alright, I'll put a wrap on the puns”** Red said while trying to free the arm the was tangled behind his back. Edge was glaring at him not moving. **“What's with that look. . . Oh whoops that wasn't on purpose”**

Edge shook his head but returned to getting Red out of the scarf. After a few more minutes of work they had freed the shorter skeleton from the scarf. Red laid back on the bed ready for a victory nap but Edge had to put a stop to that. **“BROTHER DON'T YOU DARE GO BACK TO SLEEP WE HAVE WORK TO DO”**

 **“okay boss”** Red said but didn't move, in fact he closed his eyes. Edge glared at his brother before shrugging and grabbing Red and tucking him under his arm. Red laughed but made no attempt to free himself as his brother made his way down the stairs. **“Wanna put me down, it's my turn to make breakfast anyway”**

 **“THAT DEPENDS AM I GOING TO FIND YOU SLEEPING ON THE COUNTER IF I DO?”** Edge asked raising a skeptical brow bone at him.

 **“Damn, you knew egg-axtly what I was planning”** Red said trying to stop himself from laughing.

 **“SANS!”** Edge said dropping his brother, who at least had the decency to teleport to the kitchen before cracking up laughing. **“WILL YOU QUIT WITH THE SHITTY JOKES!”** he asked stamping his foot, though the threat of a real smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. After last night he thought he'd lost this, that Red would be afraid of him. He was glad that hadn't happened.

 **“Come on you loaf my puns”** Red said walking into the living room with some bread and stuff to make sandwiches. Edge look at the stuff on the table when an idea came to mind. He grabbed two piece of bread and put one on each side of his brother face.

 **“SANS, WHAT ARE YOU”** Edge asked with a completely straight face.

 **“huh, boss what are you doing”** Red said giving a very confused looked.

 **“YOU'RE A SANS-WICH”** Edge said before leaning back and watching as the realization slowly clicked into place for Red. His brother suddenly broke out laughing so hard that he was clutching his ribs.

 **“Oh my God. . . paps I can't believe . . . You just made a pun . . . Why have I never thought of that!”** Red said when he finally stopped laughing. He shook his head and looked at the table where a sandwich had been made for him while he'd been laughing his head of. “ **Paps I could have made my own sandwich you know”**

 **“YES BUT IT SEEMED YOU WERE GOING TO BE BUSY FOR AWHILE, SO I MADE ONE FOR YOU. BESIDES YOU JUST TAKE THE MEAT AND IGNORE EVERYTHING ELSE WHEN YOU MAKE A SANDWICH, INCLUDING THE BREAD”** Edge pointed out as he finished his own sandwich. Red started into his own as brother rose from the couch and went upstairs. A few minutes later Edge came down in his black armor with the Captain’s badge stuck to the front of it. **“I'M LEAVING FOR WORK NOW, DON'T YOU DARE BE LATE TO YOUR POST”**

 **“Hey Boss one sec”** Red jumped up and walked over to his brother. **“I'm going to Waterfall after my shift tonight, to see if I can find anything to help get us out of here”**

 **“SANS I'M NOT SURE THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. UNDYNE WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO KILL YOU, TO GET BACK AT ME FOR TAKING THE CAPTAIN POSITION FROM HER”** Edge said frowning. He had thought that the getting out of here talk had been the last of mustard talking and he really didn't want Red risking himself for something that sounded impossible to him.

 **“don't worry, Boss I'll be careful and it's just to the dump and back. I have my shortcuts and I know how to dodge. I'm just grabbing a few things I'll be there for less than an hour. What could wrong”** Red said with a shrug. Edge’s frown only deepen.

 **“SANS A LOT COULD GO WRONG, DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO LIST EVERYTHING THAT COULD HAPPEN BECAUSE I'VE GOT QUITE A LIST ALREADY”** Edge said. Red shook his head and looked up at his younger brother.

 **“We can't stay here! I'm going to get us out of here no matter what. I'm just telling you now so you don't worry about me when I'm late coming home”** Red said turning around and started gathering the breakfast stuff so he could put it up. **“Just head to work and I'll see you tonight”**

 **“FINE, BUT BE CAREFUL”** Edge growled wishing there was a chance Red would wait until Edge got home so they could go together. But he knew his brother and working alone had always been Red’s preference. He started towards the capital dread gnawing all the way along his spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been considering making the swap and fell POV's separate chapters. Please tell me what you think in the comments below.


	3. From hot to cold (that might be backwards)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swap Bros continue to fight, and the fell Bros find themselves with shit to handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the vague summary I try to keep one chapter a head of where I post so I can't always remember where the chapters end.

Blue teleported to his bedroom and grabbed a bag quickly filling it with clothes and a sleeping bag from the hall. He teleported to the bathroom not wanting to waste the time to walk. Stretch would be bolting for the house as soon as the boat touched the dock. . . That is if Stretch didn't lose patience with the boat and started swimming. Blue couldn't think of any monster who could move faster than his brother when he was properly motivated, so he didn't have long before Stretch showed up. 

After grabbing his things and some stuff from the first aid kit, Blue grabbed the tent from the top of his closest and fit it in bag next to his clothes. He was zipping the bag closed when he heard the front door slam open. 

“Sans!”

That's all he heard from Stretch before teleporting away. He landed in a familiar clearing. It was way off the trail and put him halfway between Snowdin and Waterfall. This was Blue's secret place. He always comes here to calm down and look at the way the ice shined with the distorted sunlight that made its way through the barrier and cracks in the ceiling above him. 

Stretch stared at the spot where he'd seen his brother vanish from. If he'd only been a little faster he might have been able to catch Blue. “Dammit, Sans! Is getting in the guard really the most important thing to you!” he growled slamming Blue's door as he went down to the living room. “I mean you just left without even hearing me out! I wanted to apologize!” Stretch spoke as if blue was in the room with him. He'd really hurt Blue's feeling on the boat and he knew it. Knew despite his brother trying to hide his hurt with anger that his words had cut Blue deeply. 

Stretch sighed and went out to look for Blue, not feeling hopeful that he'd find him. After searching all round Snowdin the areas around his brother's puzzles and still no sign of the little skeleton he caved and called for help. 

“Hello, Undyne?” Stretch said when the phone was answered. “I was wondering if you've seen Blue on the cameras”

“I-I Don't th-think so wh-why” the fish monster stammered. Stretch could hear Alphys in the background and some upbeat song in another language.

“We got in a bit of an argument on the way home and he teleported off somewhere and I have no damn clue where” Stretch answered kicking the base of tree he was leaning on. Between the two Blue had always been the one ruled by their emotions, but this was a whole new level recklessness. Taking off and hiding right after being injured so badly. Undyne had already warned him that his bones were still cracked. If they got infected . . . And the cold would be no help to Blue's predicament. While skeletons are fairly weather resistant extreme heat or cold can cause bones to splinter.

“O-oh n-no, n-not g-good” Undyne said pulling Stretch from his thoughts. He could hear the clacking sound of Undyne typing, no doubt pulling up her camera feed. “I w-wil check th-the c-cameras again. D-do y-you w-want A-Alphys to h-help?”

“Yes, anything that finds him. And the sooner the better” Stretch said pulling away from the tree and heading towards the ruins, on the off chance Blue went that way. “Call me if you find anything”

Blue was sitting on a rock looking up at the orange gold light shimmering through through some of the icicles on the trees. “PAPY IS WRONG! ALPHYS IS GOING TO LET ME IN THE GUARD! SHE'S BEEN TRAINING ME FOR TWO YEARS NOW, THERE'S NO WAY SHE'D PUT THAT MUCH TIME IN WITH ME IF SHE WASN'T SURE! SHE JUST WANTS ME TO BE AT PEAK TALENT BEFORE LETTING ME ENTER. THAT'S ALL” Blue muttered to himself resting his chin on his bony knees. His arms were wrapped around his chest, his left hand rubbing at his sore ribs. “ALPHYS SAID SO HERSELF I AM ALMOST THERE. I IMPRESSED HER LAST TIME. I KNOW I DID EVEN IF SHE SAID SHE WAS ‘ALMOST IMPRESSED’ I KNOW THAT I ACTUALLY DID IMPRESS HER! PAPY IS WRONG! HE IS WRONG ON THIS! I JUST KNOW HE IS!” Blue said sobbing into his knees. The tears staining the gray pants of his battle body and running down his cheek bones creating dark spots on his blue bandana.

_ RING! RING!RING! _

Blue pulled his phone planning to turn it off so Stretch couldn't keep calling him, but when he looked at the screen it was Alphys’s name on the screen. He sucked in deep breath hoping to smooth out his. He didn't need Alphys knowing need been out here crying. That wasn't what royal guardsmen did! 

“HELLO ALPHYS, CAN I HELP YOU?” Blue asked keeping his voice upbeat and happy. He stood from the rock and started pacing the clearing feeling the need to move. 

“Blue where in the hell is your scrawny ass” Alphys snapped sounding slightly out of breath. Blue stopped pacing barely keeping himself from correcting Alphys on her language.

“UM, I'M OUT CAMPING. WHY DO YOU NEED ME FOR SOMETHING?” Blue asked shifting uncomfortably, the chest piece of his battle body was making his cracked ribs hurt more. 

“Yeah I need your bony ass back in Snowdin where it belongs” Alphys growled “preferably before Papyrus tears the underground a part looking for you”

“TELL PAPY TO STOP LOOKING FOR ME” Blue snapped angrily. He couldn't believe Stretch. After he said all that stuff about Blue not being enough to join the royal guard and he was supposed to just be okay with it! 

“Sans I've tried that, hell half the underground has. He's been from Snowdin to Hotlands three times looking for you.” Alphys said a bit of concern in her voice. “He's going to completely collapse at the rate he's going. Doesn't that mean anything to you? I don't know what you two are fighting over, but your  _ brother _ is literally running himself into the ground trying to find you and make up for whatever he did”

“TELL HIM I’M FINE AND THAT I SAY TO KNOCK IT OFF!” Blue said holding the angry tone though he was a little worried about his brother. He opened his mouth to say more but was stopped by a sicken throbbing coming from his cracked ribs. He sucked in a deep breath as he curled into a loose ball in the ground. He dropped the phone as both hands clasped at his chest.

“Sans I think you should tell him that yourself” he heard Alphys say but he couldn't get enough air to say anything back. His hands were bound to side with the fear that if he moved them he would fall to pieces.

“Bro, you there?” This time it was Stretch’s voice and it made Blue feel a little better even if he was still mad at his brother. He struggled for air trying to gather enough to answer his brother. “Sans? Please say something! I'm sorry about earlier I had no right to say those things, but please just talk to me”

Blue struggled but finally got enough air to speak. Only one word but hopefully it'd be enough. “Home” he choked out before forcing himself to teleport one more time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red heard the loud splashing long before the two mongrels were actually close enough to do anything. He quickly teleported behind a different pile of trash hoping to make them lose his scent. He watched as greater and lesser dog stumbled about drunkenly. He was never sure if their barking and yapping was actual communication or trying to annoy everyone around them.

After a minute the sounds of the two wandered away and Red continued his search shoving masses of wires into his jacket pockets and anything else into the backpack he'd brought with him. He felt like he was getting pretty lucky, he'd already found three of five components he needed and plenty of wire (even if he was going to have to weld most of it into longer pieces). He had just gotten back into his rhythm when a piece of trash clattered down from the stack behind him. 

He rolled to the left just in time to see the sharp blade of an axe smash the microwave he'd been pulling circuits from. “ **_Whoof whoof”_ ** greater dog barked at him lifting the axe. Red jumped to his feet and took a half step back.

“ **heya big guy. What do ya think you're doing”** Red asked letting his eyelights go black.  **“Cause if you keep this shit up, you're gonna have bad time”** Greater Dog whined slightly. Eye contact gave so much of your opponent’s intentions away. How the hell was he supposed to read this little skeleton who could hide his eyes. Still Greater Dog charged swinging his axe trying to crush his skull.  **“Welp I warned ya”** Red said side stepping Greater dog while using red magic to pull Lesser Dog from his hiding place and throwing him into Greater Dog. 

The two dogs yelped as they collided and fell in the water. Red grabbed both of their souls in his magic and threw them full force into one of the towers of garbage. Greater Dog snarled as he pulled himself from the trash. He started towards Red when Lesser Dog grabbed his arm whining sharply. Greater dog looked at his companion before looking back at Red, unsure of what was scaring Lesser Dog.

**“Ya mut want to look up”** Red said with a slight chuckle. Seven fierce looking animal skulls floated in the air all with a bright glowing ball of magic at the back of its mouth. Both dogs back away from the skulls. They knew what these were they'd seen Edge dust too many fleeing monster with that attack.  **“So do ya want stray here and keep fighting or you gonna tuck ya tails leave? I'm really not in the mood for cleaning dust out of my jacket, so this ya chance for MERCY but you gotta run now”** Red said while a couple of the blasters yawned exposing the raw magic they held. The two dogs didn't need to be told twice, the turned and fled from the small skeleton disappearing into the next cavern.

**“Welp, guess I'll call it a day”** Red said before teleporting back to the house. His brow furrowed when Edge wasn't in the living room or pacing by the door like he had expected his brother to be. He walked into kitchen but no sign of the other skeleton. Now he was panicking. He  _ knew _ something had happened to his brother, or else those two flea brains wouldn't have dared attacked him, but it wasn't the first time that Edge had been hurt and Red would get jumped. He had assumed that his brother was just at home, but . . . 

**“Boss, you home”** Red called as he almost ran up the stairs. He stopped at his brother's door hesitating before nudging the door open. Red could see pieces of Edge’s black armor on the floor.  **_That's not a good sign._ ** Red thought to himself as he entered the bedroom. Edge treated his armor a hell of a lot better than he treated most monsters, so to see it thrown to the floor told Red something was very wrong.

Edge was sleeping on top of the bed without a shirt and wearing loose shorts. It wasn't hard to see why. Black burn marks covered his arms and legs, and as Red got closer he could see the multiple heat induced fractures on his brother's ribs.  **_That armor almost baked him alive!_ ** Red shuddered with the horror of the thought.

**“hey, boss”** Red said gently shaking his brother, trying not to hurt or startle him. Edge groaned before opening his eyes. Red clenched his pointy teeth as he watched his brother struggle to focus his eyelights.  **_Asgore you son of bitch!_ ** Red snarled in his head more than a few traitorous thoughts popping up about what he'd do to that damn goat if he got the chance.  **“I'm going to try healing some of these okay?”**

Edge nodded and closed his eyes again.  **“just breathe, I'll try to be quick”** Red said moving his hands to the cracked ribs. They would be the most painful. He checked his brother's stats as he healed. 234/1235 he gasped. His brother had taken over a thousand points of damage and still managed to drag himself home. No wonder those mongrels had decided to try coming after Red. 

Edge’s hands grabbed Red's as his brother got closer to his sternum.  **“S-STOP. THAT'S ENOUGH BROTHER. I'LL BE FINE”** Edge said gripping the sheets on the bed to drag himself into a sitting position. Red glared at his brother. He'd barely healed seventy points of health.  **“I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU OVERUSE YOUR MAGIC TRYING TO HEAL ME UNNECESSARILY”**

**“Boss, it is necessary! Especially when you can't even stand up on your own”** Red countered as he reached to push his brother back down. Edge avoided his brother hand and climbed to his feet. His body rattling with the effort to stay standing but he still crossed his arms and raised a brow bone at his brother.

**“WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO STAND?”** Edge asked. Red jumped to his feet trying to swallow his anger before he said something to piss Edge off.

**“What the hell do you think you're doing? You need to lay down so your HP can recover! Stop trying to be the tough guy for a few hours and let me heal you!”** Red growled and pulled Edge back onto the bed. Edge either didn't want to or wasn't able to put up much of a fight as he was dragged back down, but he did grab both of Red's hands and trapped them in one of his. 

**“COMPROMISE? I'LL DROP ‘THE TOUGH GUY’ ACT, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HEAL ME ANY FURTHER”** Edge said looking his brother in the eyes. Red didn't just have low HP he also had low magic, overusing it could hurt him.  **“DEAL BROTHER?”**

**“Yeah, fine deal, but you had better stay in bed”** Red said pushing his brother back down once his hands were free.  **“I'm going to get dinner from Grillby’s, do you want the usual?”** Red asked. He knew Edge didn't really like eating that food, but Red really wasn't much of cook so if they were eating anything edible Grillby’s was their only choice. 

**“SURE, BUT BE QUICK”** Edge said before closing his eyes again. Red nodded before heading downstairs. He emptied his pockets of wire and started his trek over over to the fire elemental’s bar/dinner.


	4. And the pieces start falling in place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch and Blue make up while Red is working hard!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for making it this far! I am really glad! As for updates I'm keeping the last chapter I've written saved to post on Friday but if I write another chapter than I'll post a chapter.  
> (I'm just making sure I always have a chapter for the day I've promised to update on)

Blue shuddered on the floor of their living room struggling for air. It was getting easier to breathe, the warmth of the house easing the ache in his bones. _THE COLD MUST HAVE SPLINTERED THE CRACKS FURTHER._ Blue thought to himself as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He used the arm of the couch to get to his feet, before heading to kitchen. He was really hungry and was sure Stretch would be heading home soon now to. Maybe having dinner ready would help smooth out the tension between them.

“OH, DARN IT! I LEFT MY PHONE IN THE CLEARING I'LL HAVE TO GRAB IT LATER” Blue said to himself taking out the stuff to make tacos from the fridge. He hadn't even made it to the microwave when the front opened and his brother called out sounding out of breath and nervous.

“Sa-Sans you in here” Stretch called as he walked into the house. He had run from Alphys’s house all the way here when he heard Blue's voice. It had sounded like something was squeezing the air out of his brother. He couldn't tell if it was because he had been crying or if his brother had been in pain.

“I'M IN THE KITCHEN ” Blue answer as put the taco meat in the microwave. Stretch hurried over to kitchen and felt the guilt ping at his soul again. Faint blue lines ran down his brother’s cheeks, the dried tracks of tears. Blue gave him a strained half smile.

“I'm sorry Blue, I was out of line” Stretch said as he walked over to his brother. Blue dropped his gaze as he pulled the meat out, stirred it and put it back in for two more minutes. “I was scared, and said some things I didn't mean”

“REALLY?” Blue asked quietly his hands gripping the counter. Stretch couldn't believe how defeated Blue looked. His eyes were just small blue dots in his eye sockets and his usual smile was curving down in a frown.

“Really, Sans” Stretch said lightly putting his hand on Blue’s shoulder. He gave his brother and honest smile. “I was wrong, not only that, but going off what Alphys had to say about you going missing. I'd say you've almost won her over to”

“REALLY!” Blue said the stars coming back to his eyes and his smile stretching across his face. “I KNEW IT! I KNEW I WAS GETTING CLOSE! MWEH HEH!”

Stretch felt a huge relief seeing his brother back to normal. It made him feel a little bad about the next thing he was going to say. “Um Sans, Alphys wanted me to tell you, that she is putting your training on hold until those cracks in your ribs heal up”

“OH . . . YEAH . . . OF COURSE” Blue said losing some of his animation.

“You still have your sentry duties, and those cracks will be healed in a few days so it won't be that bad” Stretch offered hoping to cheer Blue back up.

“RIGHT! I CAN JUST FOCUS MORE TIME INTO MY PUZZLES! THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME TO TRY AND IMPROVE THEM” Blue said bouncing with excitement at the idea of having more time to work on his puzzles. “PAPY WHY DON'T YOU GO SIT DOWN IN THE LIVING ROOM? I'LL BRING YOU THE TACOS WHEN THEIR DONE”

“How about I help you out, Bro” Stretch asked. He hadn't got a chance to see Blue's side, but he knew it had to be more than hairline cracks because Alphys had seen and been worried about them.

“NO I'VE GOT THIS YOU GO SIT DOWN! YOU LOOK EXHAUSTED” Blue said pushing his brother towards the living room. Stretch planted his heels planning to put up more of an argument until Blue looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “PLEASE BROTHER GO SIT DOWN” Stretch sighed but went into the living room. Blue was only microwaving things not full on cooking so he wasn't _as_ likely to hurt himself.

Blue smiled once his brother was sitting down and turned back to the food. He quickly prepared a couple tacos for each of them and put toppings in the bowl Undyne had gotten for his birthday last year. It was divided into five parts so Blue didn't need to use a separate bowl for all the toppings. “Blue, Napstaton is still on if you want to watch” Stretch called unintentionally hurrying Blue into the living room.

“TACOS ARE READY!” Blue announced as he all but skipped over to the coffee table and put down the food. He kept his smile firmly in place though he was deeply worried for his brother. Stretch was really worn out and still breathing a little unevenly. “HONESTLY, BROTHER, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE WORKED YOURSELF SO HARD! I WAS FINE!”

“I thought I'd lost ya, Bro” Stretch said grabbing his taco not bothering with more toppings than some cheese. “I knew I had messed up, and was terrified you wouldn't come back home if I didn't find you”

“SORRY, I SHOULDN'T HAVE THREATENED TO LEAVE OVER THAT. YOU'RE MY BROTHER, YOU MEAN MORE TO ME THAN GETTING INTO THE ROYAL GUARD” Blue said sitting next Stretch on the couch. Stretch smiled and pulled against him so Blue's skull was resting against his ribs.

“How's your side feeling” Stretch asked just before Blue could take a bite out of his taco.

“IT’S FINE NOW, THOUGH I THINK THE COLD SPLINTERED IT A LITTLE. I SHOULD'VE GRABBED A COAT BEFORE I LEFT” Blue said with a shrug and started on his taco. Stretch nearly choked. It had splintered and Blue was talking about it like it was nothing to worry about. _Where the hell did he go that it got cold enough to splinter his bones in a few hours?_ Stretch thought to himself, but before he could ask his questions Blue's face scrunched up and he put his taco down. “HEY PAPS, DOES THE TACO MEAT TASTE A LITTLE FUNNY TO YOU?”

“No, why does yours? ” Stretch asked looking at the food in question. Blue nodded and picked up the other one.

“MAYBE MINE JUST HAD A LUMP OF GARLIC IN IT” Blue said taking a cautious bite out of the second one. It tasted fine so Blue was pretty sure that he was right about the garlic. Stretch shrugged thinking nothing of it, until Blue suddenly choked and ran into kitchen.

“Sans?” Stretch asked following Blue into the kitchen. Blue was leaning into the sink coughing and washing his mouth out with water. Stretch hurried over and rubbed his brother's shoulders trying to comfort him.

“SOMETHING IN THE TACO MEAT IS DEFINITELY BAD” Blue moaned once he'd gotten the last of the taste out of his mouth. He wasn't sure what the deal was but his stomach had started churning as soon as had put the first bite in his mouth.

“Then how about I go get something from Muffet’s?” Stretch offered as Blue pulled away from the sink. Blue nodded a little reluctantly and put his hands on his hips.

“OKAY, BUT YOU'D BETTER NOT BRING HOME JUST DESSERTS! AM I CLEAR PAPY” Blue said giving his brother a hard look, to which Stretch just smiled.

“Of course not Sansy, I'll be back in a second” Stretch said before heading out door the door. Blue stood in kitchen for a moment before he set about cleaning up from the tacos and throwing away the taco meat. He'd make fresh meat tomorrow. Once the cleaning was done he went and sat on the couch to wait for Stretch. He yawned and leaned back in the couch. He started watching TV but soon fell sideways on the couch fast asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Red was working in his lab at the back of the house using his magic to melt a couple of wires into a circuit. It had been a week since his and Edge’s fight and he finally had everything he needed to finish the machine and get them out of this hell hole. Red still couldn't believe that his brother had an LV of 15 the last time he'd seen it, it was at 8. **_They are going to break him if we don't get out of here!_ ** Red thought to himself as he moved to the next part that needed wiring. **_How did he gain seven more LV without my noticing? What kind of older brother am I? Oh right the kind lets that Goddamn goat beat the shit out of him!_ **

**“SANS, IT'S LATE YOU SHOULD COME GET SOME SLEEP”** Edge said standing in the doorway of the lab. Red kept working as Edge walked over to him. Red was really starting to worry Edge. His brother had barely slept or eaten since Edge had come home from ‘ _training’_ with Asgore. He knew Red was furious about it and even more devoted to this questionable plan of his. **“BROTHER, YOU NEED REST. YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO FUCK SOMETHING UP IF YOU'RE TIRED LIKE THIS SO GIVE IT A BREAK FOR A MINUTE”**

 **“Heh, never thought I'd hear you tell me to take a break”** Red said not moving his eyes from his work. **“Tell ya what, boss. I'm almost done here, so once I finish I'll be right up. This should be done in a couple minutes”** Red offered while connecting more wires inside the machine.

 **“FINE, THIRTY MINUTES IF YOU ARE NOT BACK INSIDE BY THEN I'M COMING BACK AND DRAGGING YOU INSIDE”** Edge warned before stepping away from his brother. He stopped at the door and looked back at his brother. He opened his mouth to say something that would calm his brother down and get him to come up stairs, but nothing came, so he closed his mouth and headed back into the house.

Red continued working, wiring and rewiring things in a tireless pattern. His hands moved without really thinking. All he had to do was follow the notes he'd already made, and not mess up like Edge had warned him. He was so involved with his work that he jumped when a hand grabbed his tibia and yanked him out from under the machine. Red blinked then glared at his brother as Edge removed him from the ground so they were face to face. Red’s head span as his brother held him upside down. **“What are you doing, Boss? I thought you said you'd give me thirty minutes”**

 **“IT'S BEEN OVER AN HOUR! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO BED!”** Edge growled as Red dangled helplessly in his grip.

 **“Okay, but can you put me down, or at least up side right”** Red asked wiggling a little before Edge grabbed the back of his jacket and flipped him so he was head up. **“Thanks Boss”**

Edge didn't respond just brought Red inside and to his bedroom which of course was a mess. Edge had once said it looked like a tornado had hit in there and a week later Red had somehow put a self-sustaining tornado in the corner of his room. Edge had gotten him back for that by dyeing Red's socks different colors when he did the laundry. That plan had backfired because after the fifth time and Red still couldn't figure out what was happening to his socks; it freaked him out so he refused to touch the ones that had been altered. Hints the sock that still sat in their living room.

 **“ya didn't have to carry me to my room. I know the way I promise”** Red said in a teasing voice. Edge just walked over and dropped Red on his bed.

 **“IS THAT SO? BECAUSE THE CLOSEST I'VE SEEN YOU COME IS CRASHING ON THE GOD AWFUL COUCH OF OURS”** Edge said unamused. Red sighed, and looked away from his brother's scowl. He waited for Edge to leave but was surprised when he sat down on the bed next to him. **“BROTHER, I KNOW YOU'RE WORRIED, AND THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN GET US OUT OF HERE, BUT PLEASE STOP PUSHING YOURSELF SO HARD. I'LL BE FINE SO, I DON'T WANT YOU HURTING YOURSELF TRYING TO FINISH THIS CONTRAPTION OF YOUR'S”**

 **“Bro, you're not fine! You're lucky to still be sane and alive! And as long a we are here you're going to have to keep fighting and raising your LV!”** Red said the anger he'd been holding back coming out. **“That worthless bastard we call a king is going to continue to use you as his personal punching bag! And we both are always ALWAYS going to have keep looking over our shoulders for the next attack! It's pathetic and I'm done accepting that's all there is for us. So yes I do feel the need to hurry”** Red snarled looking at his brother with determination in his bright crimson eyes. Edge got up from the bed and headed for the door. He stopped with his hands on the handle. He kept his eyes on the door as he spoke in a flat voice.

 **“SANS, DO YOU THINK HAVING A BETTER LIFE, A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE, OR ANYTHING ELSE WOULD MEAN ANYTHING TO ME IF IT TOOK YOU FROM ME”** Edge said leaving before Red could respond. He left his brother sitting on the bed looking at the door he just walked out of.

 **“and that's why I have to get you out of here, paps. I can't think of anyone else with a high LV that still gives a damn about anyone besides themselves”** Red said to the empty room. He leaned back and closed his eyes.  He drifted off for a little bit, settling into a light sleep, but he wasn't in his bed when Edge went to check on him that morning. Red was back to work, and Edge left him there not even bothering to drag him out for his sentry duties.

Red stood back from his machine sweat running down his skull, but he wore an honest smile. He was done. All that was left was to flip the lever and pray it worked. He had no clue where Edge had gone, he'd received a text telling him that Edge had reported him sick and to keep out of sight. It was probably a good thing he wasn't here. If anything shorted or sparked Edge was liable to call the whole thing off.

 **“Okay deep breath, and flip the switch”** Red repeated to himself until finally. _Clank! Vrummmmmm!_ The machine came to life with a pur, lights came on the metal ring that would stabilize the portal. **“Nothing has exploded yet, that's a good sign”**

He messed with a few more things until the portal clearly showed a fresh snowy clearing. **“yes now for the scary part”** He said as he approached the portal. He had to make sure the portal was stable enough to travel through. He took one of the pencils off his desk and threw it through. He smiled wider with a similar pencil suddenly showed up on the other side. He threw a couple more things through the portal each on a little bigger than the last. **“Guess it's time for the live test, huh”** Red said taking another deep breath and walking through the portal. He shivered at a cold clutching feeling that ran over him for a split second before his snicker was crunching snow. He looked around the clearing for any signs of a threat but there was nothing. **“Let's check this place out first”** Red said using a remote to close the portal as he headed the way he thought Snowdin would be. **“With my luck this place could be as fucked up as ours”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If ya read this I would love to hear any suggestions you have for the story, like promts or even if something seems forced, out place or confusing I'd like to know!


	5. And the hard times hit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch and Edge get the scare of their lives. (Sorry that's what I got without spoilers)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real problems start to hit. Wonder how the skeletons are going to handle it.

Blue pulled the blanket over his head in silent refusal to acknowledge his alarm clock. He had woke up sore again, it seemed to becoming the norm since his accident at training last week. Even though the cracks had healed his bones still ached and not just his ribs. It had spread to his legs and arms and today he even had a headache to go with. It took ten minutes for his alarm clock to beep him out of bed to shut it off. He dressed slowly trying avoid any unnecessary moves that would agitate his aching joints.

“Blue, you okay?” Stretch asked leaning on the kitchen counter as his brother came in. Stretch almost never beat Blue up in morning, and Stretch wasn't even up early.

“HUH? OH YEAH I'M FINE PAPY. JUST DIDN'T SLEEP WELL LAST NIGHT” Blue answered as he moved to the fridge and poured himself a glass of orange juice. “I GET TO START TRAINING WITH ALPHYS AGAIN! SO I WAS A LITTLE TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP” he didn't exactly lie, it was a half lie. He was excited to be training again, but that wasn't what had kept him up last night. It proved impossible to find position to sleep in that hadn't bothered one part of him or another, plus the sudden hot and cold spells.

“Heh, Bro you need to learn to calm down sometimes” Stretch said shaking his head as Blue took a couple drinks from his cup and put it in the sink. Blue stuck his tongue out at his brother before heading for the door. “Aren't you going to eat something before you leave?” Stretch asked a little surprised that his brother of all people was about to skip breakfast. He couldn't count the times Blue had lectured him for sleeping through breakfast, ‘the most important meal of the day’.

“NO, I'M NOT HUNGRY SO I'M JUST GOING TO HEAD TO WORK ” Blue said shifting uncomfortably. He hadn't told Stretch, but the last few times he'd eaten he had barely kept it down, and he didn't want to test his luck this morning. “SEE YA PAPY!” Blue said before teleporting away leaving a very confused Stretch in the kitchen.

Blue only teleported to the outside of Snowdin and started walking towards his post, unaware of the black shadow that was watching him from the trees. Blue kept his head down as he walked, just wanting to get to his station.

He was nearly there when he heard a crack and a sharp curse word. He turned around to see Snowdrake on the ground in front of a large tree. The disoriented creature's wing was twisted and pinned underneath its body. Blue sighed and walked over to the feathered monster. “SNOWDRAKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“sup, Blue” He said rolling over so he was sitting up. He didn't even wince as he moved his clearly broken wing. “Hey have you seen my brother? I've been setting up an awesome prank for him”

“CHILLDRAKE? CAN'T SAY THAT I HAVE” Blue said as Snowdrake jumped to his feet and tilting his head up to the trees. “WHY DON'T YOU LET ME HEAL THAT”

“Huh, oh yeah, thanks little man” he said offering Blue the broken wing. Blue shook his head at Snowdrake but started healing the wing. Snowdrake had always been the more popular than his comedian of brother, but he was reckless and always getting into trouble.

“THERE, ALL HEALED” Blue said as he finished. Snowdrake ruffled his feathers testing the wing before nodding.

“thanks Blue you're the best” he said before jumping back into the tree he'd just fallen out of and began working on a system of ropes and pulleys. Blue stared incredulously at it before shaking his head and walking away with an ‘I DON'T WANT TO EVEN KNOW’.

He had never felt so relieved to see his sentry station before in his life. He wouldn't have thought it was possible to feel this grateful for the little shack. His headache had officially turned into a migraine and it was starting to feel like someone had put large grains of sand in the spaces between all his joints. He flopped down on his chair and tried to focus on looking out for signs of a fallen human.

He did fine for the first hour getting up and patrolling every fifteen minutes, by the second hour he did his patrol twice and third hour found him curled in a ball on the floor of his station. The blue bandana stuffed in his mouth trying to muffle the sounds of his cries. _Everything hurt!_ He wasn't sure what was going on or if he should try to call for help. Help sounded like a good idea, until he realized that he'd have to move. He didn't want to risk adding anymore pain so he stayed curled up on the floor praying it would just end already.

Stretch, on the other hand, was sitting on their couch waiting for Blue to come home. They were both supposed to be on lunch break twenty minutes ago. Blue could easily have gotten distracted working on one of his puzzles or just talking to someone, it had happened before, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He pulled out his phone and sent his brother text: Hey, Blue where are you?

Stretch stared at phone his soul beating faster every second that passed without a response. He was about to get up and go looking for Blue when his phone went off.

‘SORRY, LOST TRACK OF TIME BE HOME IN A MINUTE’

Stretch sighed and flipped the TV on. A couple minutes later the front door swung open and Blue hurried in.

“S-SORRY I'M L-LATE” Blue stammered as he tried to stamped the snow from his boots. He flinched after a couple tries and gave up and headed for the kitchen to escape Stretch’s startled look of concern.

“Bro you okay?” Stretch asked as Blue disappeared into the kitchen.

“Y-YEAH, J-JUST C-COLD ” Blue answered holding a hand to his skull. He opened the fridge and looked for something to eat, but he couldn't tell what was in front of him. Everything was blurred together and indistinguishable. “H-HAVE Y-YOU S-SEEN M-MY C-COAT A-AROUND, I-I’M GOING TO NEED . . .”

_Crash!_

“Sans!” Stretch bolted into the kitchen to find Blue lying on the floor with contents of one of the fridge shelves scattered around him. Stretch ran over picking him up and felt his soul freeze for a moment. _He's burning up!_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **“There's no way that little runt is supposed to be me”** Red said to himself as he watched the blue clad skeleton talk with a rather eccentric Snowdrake. The bright colors of this world really threw him for a loop. His whole life he'd worn dark protective clothes that kept him out of sight, but the flashy blue bandana on his counter part could be seen from across the underground; Red would swear to that.

When the conversation ended Red followed the blue skeleton to his station, but got bored after an hour. **“I thought that doing the sentry job was boring, but watching someone doing the sentry job is worse”** Red grumbled as wandered back the other way. He spotted a slightly timid looking Chilldrake walking around calling for his brother when suddenly he tripped and face-planted into the snow. Red looked up when heard the whir of pulleys. Chilldrake looked up just in time for a ton of purple powder to fall on top of him.

“Oh, yeah Bro, that's a nice color on you” Snowdrake said hopping down from the tree. Chilldrake hopped to his feet trying desperately to get the purple off his once blue white feathers.

“How do I get it off” he demanded glaring at his brother.

“Humm, not sure I remember how” Snowdrake said with a chuckle as his brother continued to glare at him.

“Fine let's see this jogs your memory” Chilldrake said jumping his brother. Red tensed wondering if this was going to be a real fight, when he heard the laughing. “You're looking I'm violet not violent”

“Gawd! Not those puns again” Snowdrake said finally wiggling free from his brother purple splashes all over his feathers. Red left the two going to check out the rest of this underground. He was shocked to find more of the same. Monsters getting along, helping each, and more impressive was that no was trying to kill each other, no one was hunting exp. Red shook his head in dazed amazement. A part of him wanted to get mad about getting the short straw and ending up in the hell he did, but it really didn't matter now. He'd done it! He and Edge could be safe! They could leave!

 **“gettin kinda late, better head home before Boss blows a fuse”** Red said as he got up and started towards Snowdin.

He'd learned a lot about this place, for starters everything seemed backwards. Muffet and Gillby had traded places. They had no Mettaton, Thank God for that! Instead they had a DJ robot named Napstaton. Alphys was the captain of the royal guard and Undyne was the royal scientist. Asgore had been the one to up and leave the kingdom, so Queen Toriel was in charge. And personally changes up the ying yang.

Red teleported to the clearing he had first arrived in, bringing the portal to life with a click of the remote. He stumbled back into his lab covering the machine and heading into the house. Red hurried into the house looking for his brother, before noticing that Edge wouldn't be home for another half hour. He sighed but sat on couch to wait for Edge to get back. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. **“Maybe I'll take a quick nap”** Red muttered as his eyes closed.

Edge wasn't surprised when he came home and found Red passed out on the couch. It had become a common thing now. He sighed and picked his brother up and carried him to his bedroom. Edge grabbed Red's phone and set an alarm to get Red up for work tomorrow. Edge needed to leave early tomorrow and Red couldn't miss two days of work in a row. With all that set, Edge returned to his own room for the night.

Edge was speechless when he woke the next morning and found Red still asleep in his bed. Relief seemed to weak a word to describe how he felt seeing his brother actually resting,for the first time in a week. **“HE MUST ALMOST BE DONE WITH THAT MACHINE OF HIS”** Edge said to himself as he silently left the house. He had to go to the capital again today, but at least it wasn't another ‘training’ session. He just had to go over some guard reports and transfer some of the human souls over to Alphys for her determination experiments.

Edge hurried through his tasks trying to make it home as quickly as possible. He managed to get through his meeting with Asgore and only lost 300 HP so that was a plus. It was when he got to Alphys that he started to realize something was wrong, starting with the fact that Undyne was the one who answered the door.

“Oh, hey Papyrus, what a surprise to see you here” She said with a chuckle and waved for him to come in while calling over her shoulder. “Me and Alphys were just talking about you”

“ **IS THAT SO** ” Edge said in a bored tone, but kept a grundle of bone attacks right on the edge of being summoned. He placed the canister holding the yellow soul on Alphys’s desk.

“Yeah we were just saying how you might want to see this” Undyne said as Alphys started clicking away on her computer. Suddenly the large screen mounted on the back wall lit up, showing a familiar part of Snowdin forest. It was the slightly decrepit sentry station with mustard bottles littered around it, the one closest to the ruins. Red's sentry station, but there was no sign of the shorter skeleton. “Ah Alphys is it over already?”

“N-no th-they ar-are j-just o-out of v-view” Alphys said stammering like a busted CD. Edge felt panic start building in his soul as Alphys flipped to a different camera. “B-better?”

“Much” Undyne said with a malicious smile. Edge stared at the screen his vision getting redder by the second. On screen was Red dodging attacks from the whole dog pack, all five of them. “Too bad you aren't there to save him huh? Oh well he wasn't good for anyth-”

Undyne was cut short as several bones struck through her chest narrowly missing her soul. Behind her Alphys was screaming at the bones impaling her work. Bones were sticking out of every square foot of the lab smashing the computer, shredding notes and destroying all manners of equipment. Edge turned and started running for Snowdin. Red magic throwing away any monster who got in his way. **_SANS YOU HAD BETTER HANG ON TILL I GET THERE!_ **


	6. Great what else can wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch takes care of Blue while Red fights the dog pack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for making it this far this going to be a fun chapter! Enjoy!

“Sans! Bro!” Stretch tried to shake him awake but Blue only whimpered eyes staying closed. “Sans please wake up!” Stretch begged before heading upstairs to the bathroom. He quickly changed Blue out of the food covered clothes and into a clean pair of pajamas.

“BROTHER?” Blue asked as he started coming around. Stretch paused on his way to Blue's room. “IT HURTS”

“What hurts, Bro” Stretch asked as he carefully shifted Blue over so he could open the bedroom door. Blue yelped though it was clear he was trying to stay quiet.

“EVERYTHING” Blue’s voice was little more than a whisper and clutched to Stretch’s hoodie like it was some sort of lifeline. It felt like every one of his bones had been scrubbed raw with sandpaper and his skull was threatening to split in two. “PAPY IT HURTS”

“Oh, Sans, shush we'll take of care this, okay. Just take some deep breaths and try to relax” Stretch said as he placed Blue on his bed and pulled the covers over him. A small wordless whine left Blue's throat as he shifted around trying found the least painful position. “Sans, I'm going to go grab some medicine”

Blue grabbed Stretch’s arm and shook his head. “I'M FINE PAPY. I DON'T NEED ANY MEDICINE. IT'S JUST A COLD” he said as another shudder ran down his spine. Stretch as gently as he could pulled his arm from Blue's grasp.

“Bro, I know you hate medicine, but you've got a really high fever and it'll help with the pain” Stretch said trying to sooth his brother. Blue just pulled the covers over his head. Stretch sighed but went and grabbed a couple of pills from the bathroom. “Come on, Blue don't you want to get better?”

“I DON'T NEED THE MEDICINE” Blue repeated stubbornly. Stretch placed the pills on the nightstand in case Blue changed his mind. He knew better than to try and force Blue. His brother would just teleport away or struggle until he made himself worse.

“I'll leave them here, in case you decide you want them” Stretch said getting up to leave, when a small bony hand grabbed the hem of his hoodie.

“STAY, PLEASE PAPY” Blue begged looking up at his brother with wide eyes. There was glassy sort of haze over them. Stretch nodded before sitting on the edge of the bed trying not jostle Blue. Blue clenched his teeth, but didn't cry out, so he was proud of himself. “THANK YOU, PAPY” Blue breathed nuzzling his brother's hand.

“No problem, I'll always be here for you” He said watching as Blue slipped into a fitful sleep. Blue was constantly twitching and mewling weakly. Stretch’s soul ached watching his brother like this, but he didn't dare leave till Blue had fallen into deeper sleep.

_RING! RING! RING! RING!_

Stretch jumped at the sudden noise and Blue whimpered pulling the covers tighter. His cell phone was off in his pocket, so it must have been Blue's going off. Stretch bit his boney lip for a moment before carefully getting up to find the phone. “Sans I'll be right back, Bro” he said not sure if was awake or not, his face was buried in the pillow.

Stretch found Blue's phone in bathroom, in the middle of the dirty clothes. He pulled it out and answered the call that was coming through a second time. “Blue! Where are you? I thought we had training today?” Alphys said loudly. She didn't like being made to wait, but it was so unlike the little skeleton that she knew something was wrong.

“Sorry Alphys, Blue is sick” Stretch said holding the phone slightly away from his skull. If he had ears they'd be ringing from Alphys’s yelling.

“Sick? Is he okay? It's not because . . . Those cracks didn't get infected did they?” Alphys asked truly sounding worried now, and maybe even a little guilty.

“No I don't think that's it. His ribs looked fine and he says it's just a cold, but . . .” Stretch clenched his hand into a fist.

“But? You think it's something more?” Alphys asked trying to be patient.

“Alphys, he flat out fainted in the kitchen, and he's saying he's in a lot pain. Blue never complains about that kind of thing. I'm really worried about him” he said his free had pulling on the hem of his hoodie. His brother never complained about anything, besides Stretch’s smoking and cursing. He was always trying to act tough, like nothing bothered him. If Stretch had to guess he supposed it came from years of trying to raise the two of them; Always having to be the cool older brother.

“P-PAPY?”

“oh shit, Alphys I gotta go. Blue just woke up so” Stretch said moving towards the bathroom door.

“Yeah go take care of him and tell him I say to get well soon” Alphys said before hanging up the phone. Stretch hurried into Blue's room to find his brother sitting up and shaking hard.

“Bro you need to lay back down” Stretch said carefully pushing Blue back down. There was almost no resistance at all, which worried stretch. Normally his brother put a lot more fight against being taken care of.

“Y-YOU S-SAID Y-YOU W-WOULD S-STAY” Blue whimpered clutching his brother's hand in both of his. Stretch put his brother's phone on the nightstand before kneeling by the bed.

“Sorry, Alphys called and I went to get your phone” Stretch explained gently rubbing Blue's skull. His brother shivered and leaned into the soothing touch.

“O-OH, R-RIGHT, TR-TRAINING” Blue said struggling to get up. Stretch however put a hand on his shoulder to keep him pinned to the bed. “P-PAPY L-LET M-ME U-UP”

“No you need to stay laying down” Stretch said pulling the blankets up around Blue who was still trembling and glassy eyed. “Are you still cold?”

“J-JUST A L-LITTLE” Blue answered after a moment of hesitation. Stretch nodded before standing up and heading for the door.

“I'll grab another blanket and be right back” Stretch left quickly grabbing another blanket from the hall closet. When he returned, his brother was asleep again. His gaze fell on blue blush on his brother's cheeks and his temperature was even higher. Stretch sighed and picked up the pills from the nightstand and turned them over in his hand. “If you won't take them willingly, maybe I can trick you into taking them”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **“what's the big idea? You guys suddenly got a death wish or something?”** Red growled as he was forced to dodge another one of Doggo’s magic knives. The entire dog pack had just showed up right after noon and started attacking him. They had been keeping him moving, blocking and dodging so he couldn't focus his magic enough to teleport away.

“Oh we aren't scared of your brother anymore” Doggo snarled as Dogaressa swung her axe at Red, barely missing him. Red was panting hard and sweating. How long had he been at this now? Ten, fifteen minutes? With no break. He was starting to feel all those late nights sapping his strength already.

 **“oh, and why's that?”** Red snarled summoning five blasters to blast the dogs. Doggo and Greater Dog both got hit but the other three dodged the attacks. The pack quickly adjusted and started circling Red.

“Undyne and Alphys are dealing with him, so you're on your own” Dogamy said before lunging at him. Red threw him by the soul into Doggo and side stepped Dogaressa’s attack. His right lit up with bright red magic. “That loud mouth bag of bones is probably dust by now, but don't worry you'll be next”

 **“You are going to burn in hell if he's been hurt! I'll make sure of it!”** Red yelled catching all five monsters in red magic. Several yelps sounded as Red lifted them high into the air, just before slamming them down hard. Lesser dog started screaming as Dogamy’s axe was smashed into his shoulder. Greater Dog charged Red just barely missing the blasted skeleton again!

Red summoned several bone spikes from the ground catching Dogaressa right behind the shoulder. Doggo and Dogamy started on him again forcing him to focus on dodging as they tried to overwhelm him with attacks. It was all Red could do to avoid being hit, no time to counterattack, and not enough magic to teleport away even if he had the time to. Just when Red thought things couldn't get any worse one of his snickers found a particular slick patch of ice.

His whole balance was lost and he tumbled to the ground. Dogamy made his lunge to finish him off. Red closed his eyes, giving up, he knew he was beaten. His magic was too low to cast anything substantial enough to block. He waited for that split second it would take the battle axe to crush him.

_Swish! Thunk!_

Red's eyes snapped open to see the axe blade dug into the snow just inches from him. A faint glowing outline of red surrounding it was the only warning they got before the five dogs were filled with bone spikes.

 **“YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR THIS, YOU WORTHLESS FLEA BAGS”** Edge said as he walked out from the trees the camouflage he'd used to get this closed undetected was floating off him in red steam like mist. Edge was speaking in a surprisingly even and calm voice. It was sending chills down Red's spine and he wasn't even the target of the coyly hidden rage in his brother's voice and face. His brother looked almost bored, but bright red almost fire like magic coming off his left eye screamed of how furious he was. **“IT TOOK THE FIVE OF YOU TO GET THE COURAGE TO ATTACK MY BROTHER”** Edge took a step closer to his captured victims. **“AND ALL OF YOU COULDN'T EVEN TAKE HIM OUT IN AT LEAST THE SEVEN MINUTES IT TOOK ME TO GET HERE FROM HOTLANDS?”** Another step forward and one of the dogs let a soft keening whine slip from its bloody muzzle. **“YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE TOP OF THE ROYAL GUARD, HA! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A REAL MONSTER CAN DO”**

Red was a bit taken aback. His brother had been clear in Hotlands? Seven minutes to basically run clear across the underground, he knew his brother was fast but that took it to a whole new level. Red was pulled from his thoughts by a heavy magical pressure that suddenly appeared.

 **“Damn”** Red whispered as he looked up at the many blasters his brother had summoned. Red had always thought this was the one attack he could best his brother at, but the scene in front of him proved him wrong. Red's could only summon a maximum of twelve blasters at once, this was a hell of a lot more than twelve.

“God, please have some MERCY” Doggo whined looking up at Edge with panic and fear in his eyes.

 **“GOOD RIDDANCE”** Edge snapped his fingers and all the blasters went off in a flash of reddish white light and thunderous bang that shook the ground and left Red seeing spots. He struggled to his feet wincing at the loud noise still echoing inside his skull.

 **“thanks Boss, I'd have been du-”** Red cut off as he was forced to dodge a wave of bones. **“Bro, what are you doing”** He asked glaring at his brother before shock hit him hard. His brother's normally bright red magic was a dark and blood red color. There was no recognition in his face as he looked down at Red.

**Papyrus HP 985/1285 LV 16**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I remove the honeymustard tag and see how many of you guys notice, right?lol


	7. What's there left to lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch tricks Blue, while Red and Edge face off

Stretch was pacing in the kitchen unsure of what to do. Blue needed to take his medicine, but he was too stubborn to do so. Stretch really didn't know why his brother was so averse to using any sort of medicine, but he was. Stretch needed to find a way to trick blue into taking the pills but how? Because if he got caught Blue would refuse to let him help any further. “Dammit Sans, Why do you have to make this so much harder than it needs to be!”

He slammed his hand on the counter knocking several dishes to floor next to mess Blue had made when fainted. “guess I should clean that up” knowing Blue he'd try to clean it up the moment he saw it, and he needed to stay resting. Stretch grabbed the broom and swept everything up before mopping. It was while he was mopping that an idea came to mind. He threw the mop aside and opened cabinet above the stove. Inside was a box labeled ‘ _ herbal tea’  _ it was the closest thing to medicine that Blue would approve of;  and while it wouldn't be strong enough to fix him, it's bitter taste was exactly what Stretch needed.

He grabbed their teapot and put it on the stove to boil. Once that was set up he grabbed a green mug and placed it on the counter. Carefully he broke the first pill capsule and poured the fine white powder into the bottom of the mug. After doing the same with the second he added a couple teaspoons of sugar.

Once the tea was finished he went up to Blue's room. “Bro, you up?” he asked as he opened the door. Blue was curled in a loose ball on the bed, whimpering quietly to himself. “Hey Bro? You okay” he put a hand lightly on Blue's shoulder. Blue jolted as he realized he wasn't alone in the room anymore. 

“Y-YEAH I'M FINE” He said looking up at his brother. 

“I made you some tea, if you wanna try and drink it” Stretch said offering the mug. Blue took it with shaky hands and started sipping on it. The warmth of it was all the encouragement Blue needed to finish the cup off. It seemed no matter what he did he was always cold. 

“THANK YOU, PAPY” Blue said as Stretch took the empty mug from him. 

“No problem bro” Stretch replied as his brother carefully buried himself back under the blankets. It wasn't hard to see that he was still shivering despite the extra blanket. “If you're still cold I can get you another blanket”

“I'M FINE” Blue said as another shiver danced along his spine making his voice waver. 

“Sans” Stretch gave him a warning look.

“OKAY, I'M STILL A LITTLE COLD” Blue admitted, feeling a bit like a bother as he watched his usually lazy brother get up to bring him another blanket. 

“here you go” Stretch said throwing the blanket on top of Blue. 

“THANK YOU” Blue said quietly, as he shifted around trying to get comfortable. Stretch pulled his brother’s computer chair over by the bed and sat down stroking Blue's skull lightly. 

“Sans, please, if you need something tell me Bro. I'm going out of my mind over here. I feel pretty useless right now. So please give me something to do” Stretch said as Blue captured his hand again. Blue nodded and mumbled what sounded like an agreement. Stretch smiled as Blue cuddled his hand in his sleep. He didn't dare take his hand from Blue. “Welp good thing I can sleep just about anywhere” he said fighting a yawn and leaning back into the chair. He waited till Blue stilled falling into a deep sleep before allowing himself to drifted. 

When Blue woke up he felt marginally better. His bones were still sore, but manageable and his headache was gone. He opened his eyes to see Stretch sleeping in the computer chair, with his hand still intertwined in both of Blue's hands. Blue pulled on Stretch’s hand lightly, trying to wake him up. “PAPY, WHY DON'T YOU SLEEP IN YOUR ROOM THAT HAS TO BE BAD FOR YOUR BACK”

“mmhmm, mornin Bro” Stretch said still half asleep. Blue pushed the blankets off himself and sat up. At least he wasn't freezing anymore. 

“MORNING PAPY!” Blue said climbing out of bed and heading to his closet. Stretch got up the joints in his back popping and creaking. “PAPY, ARE _ YOU _ OKAY?” 

“Heh, yeah I'm fine, but if I'm gonna end up spending another night in here you need to a better chair” he said  as Blue grabbed a white sweater and blue sweats. 

“I'M GOING TO TAKE A SHOWER, UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO FIRST” Blue asked tilting his head slightly. Stretch shook his head and opened the bedroom door. 

“Nah, I'm going see if we have anything I can make for breakfast” He said as Blue walked over to him with a pouty expression. 

“PAPY OF COURSE WE HAVE SOMETHING TO MAKE BREAKFAST WITH. I GOT GROCERIES LESS THAN A WEEK AGO” Blue said putting his hands on his hips. He would have stamped his foot to, but he was afraid that would be pushing his luck. 

“I said that  _ I  _ could cook. That gives us a pretty limited range” Stretch said trying not to smile at Blue's little display. Blue other hand took on a slightly awkward disposition, dropping his hands and trying not to look frightened.

“OH YEAH, RIGHT. I'M SURE YOU'LL FIND SOMETHING” Blue said  _ trying  _ to sound enthusiastic. Stretch reeeeeally wasn't good at cooking. Stretch and Blue had tried cooking together once and . . . Well Blue still wasn't sure how Stretch had managed to start the water on fire, but after that the only help he was allowed to give was pulling things out of the taller cabinets.

“I'll keep it simple. Like cereal or something” Stretch reassured Blue before heading downstairs. He heard the shower turn on as he made his way into kitchen. He shuffled over and pulled out the box of petal puffs, that Blue bought from the flower merchant in flower village. He put that on the counter thinking there was no way he could screw this up till he opened the fridge. “Are you kidding me! We are out of milk?!” Stretch gave a loathing look to the inside of the fridge. He had completely forgotten that the milk had been spilled when Blue had fainted. “Now what am I going to do?”

He needed to come up with something or Blue would insist on cooking something. Blue was still sick, and while the medicine had helped it was still pretty clear that he still wasn't feeling well. 

_ Knock, knock, knock.  _

Stretch turned to look at the door trying to figure out who would be visiting them. He was answered by a loud and demanding voice. 

“Papyrus open the damn door! It's cold as hell out here” Alphys growled tail thrashing back and forth. God she hated Snowdin! Way too cold for her. Stretch sighed but opened the door for her. She hurried in after shaking the snow from herself. 

“What are you doing here? Blue's still sick” Stretch growled, the last thing Blue needed was to be getting overly excited with this loud mouth. 

“You might want to be a little nicer to me bonehead” Alphys said handing Stretch a plastic container. “Blue told me that you can't cook to save your life so I brought over omelettes so Blue wouldn't have to try and cook” Alphys said as Stretch just stared at the container mouth slightly opened. He never expected Alphys to care this much about Blue, nor did he expect Blue to have told anyone about that disastrous little event. “Admit it, I'm your savior this morning”

“Okay yeah you're my savior this morning” Stretch said with a slight chuckle before turning serious. “But really thank you for this. I had no clue what I was going to do to feed us this morning”

“No problem, and I'm going to have Undyne bring some more food over later, that's just what I could easily carry. I'm not going to let you two starve because Blue got sick” Alphys said before leaving and hurrying back towards Waterfall. Stretch walked into the kitchen and plated up the food before taking it up to Blue's room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**“B-boss, it's me. It's Sans your brother”** Red said backing away as his brother started advancing on him. With almost no warning a long row of bone spikes shot from the ground. Red barely dodged feeling one of the bones slide through the space between his ribs.  **“Papyrus please! Stop this, come back! Please”**

Edge’s only response was to summon five blasters and point them at Red. Bones impaled and shattered three of the skulls as Red rolled out of the way of the other two beams. He was breathing hard, like someone was compressing his rib cage. 

**“Paps come on, you've got to still be in there! Please”** Red said summoning a wall of bones to block another attack from Edge. A red bone with a darker and  pulsing center struck through the bone wall lodged halfway.  **“Oh shit!”**

Red quickly dived away from his wall as the red bone exploded sending bits of bones everywhere. Red’s hands and feet were starting to go numb as he stumbled out of the way of another attack. Crimson tears were running down his cheeks as he tried to get away from Edge’s continued assault.  **_This isn't fair! I finally did it! We were going to get out of here! This wasn't supposed to happen! Dammit Papyrus! How could you do this! How could lose yourself now that we are so close to finally living in peace!_ **

Edge stalked after his prey, getting very annoyed at every missed attacked. Every attempt to trap the smaller monster was met failure, and no matter how many times he tried or how close he came to killing his prey there was never a counterattack. Just an endless cycle of dodge block and avoid. The repetitive nature of this fight was annoying but the most infuriating part was how the monster seemed to know where the natural spaces where in his attacks and actually relaxed for the few seconds Edge needed to recharge for an attack! 

Six white beams fired and again the attack had been avoided. His prey kept calling out and pleading  **“Papyrus please! Brother stop this!”** At first Edge had been disappointed that no one had come to try and save his prey. It would have meant more exp but if this  _ Papyrus  _ was as good at dodging as the monster in front of him was than things would have gotten annoying a lot faster. 

Red was too tired to kept this up for much longer and he briefly considered just letting himself get dusted and leaving the rest of this world to deal with the consequences of what they'd done to his brother; his baby brother! However another idea came to mind there was one thing that might snap Edge out of it, or get him killed if it didn't work. He summoned a small sharp bone knife in his hands and a single blaster. 

Edge tensed so the other had finally decided to attack! He shifted his weight ready to dodge but when the blaster went off it hit about a foot in front of him in a flash of blinding light. He blinked his vision back and the sight in front of him made him pause.

**“B-boss ple-nghh please, st-stop”** Red begged. He was on his knees both hands clenching the black fabric of his shorts. Dark red marrow dripping down his skull. The crack on left eye significantly longer and wider than before.  **“P-paps, please, I-I can't k-keep this up”** Red swayed where he was sitting, the pain in his eye making his head swim.  **“Bro please, come back”**

Red looked up at Edge but his brother's expression stayed cold and unreadable. He sighed when more bones summoned and pointed themselves at him. He closed his eyes shuddering as the marrow ran down along the inside of his closed eye sockets. A long moment of silence hung over the clearing, till suddenly there was whisp of air and something feather light brushed his face. 

**“DAMNIT, I HURT YOU AGAIN”** Edge growled his voice sounding right next to his skull. Red's eyes flew open and saw his brother’s eyelights were back to light red.

**“Oh my God! Papyrus, you're back!”** Red sobbed throwing himself into his brother's chest. He clung to his brother even though said brother stiffened at the sudden embrace.  **“I thought I'd lost you! Paps, oh God, what would I do if I lost you”**

**“SANS, I HURT YOU! HOW CAN YOU STAND TO HAVE ME ANYWHERE NEAR YOU”** Edge asked staying ram rod stiff. His arms were locked at his sides not returning the embrace. He had hunted his own brother,just like he would hunt an animal! He had planned to kill his own brother and it hadn't even bothered him! Red shook his head before pulling back enough to look his brother in face. 

**“You didn't touch me. I did it to myself”** Red said as he looked at Edge. His brother returned the look though his full of concern and confusion.  **“I figured if you were still in there, you'd come back if saw that I was hurt. It worked”**

**“SANS, DON'T! PROMISE ME YOU'LL NEVER HURT YOURSELF AGAIN, ESPECIALLY NOT FOR MY SAKE!”** Edge demanded finally returning the embrace. He wrapped his arms around Red just glad his was brother was still alive.

**“Sorry, boss, but you're not the only one willingly to take drastic measures. I would do the same thing again if it meant getting you back”** Red said relaxing against his brother. The exhaustion had finally hit and hard. It was everything Red could do to keep awake. His eyes wouldn't even stay open. Edge shifted his arms so he was supporting most of Red's weight and checked his HP 0.8/1.  **“Bro, let's get outta here”**

**“THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA”** Edge said before Red felt him go rigid with the sound of cracking bone. Red’s eyes snapped open to see the inside of the blaster Edge had summoned to shield them. Several red triangles were sticking through the top of the skull.

“What. The. Hell! How are you two still alive” Undyne growled summoning more spears and pointing them at the two brothers. “This is what I get for counting on a bunch of dogs! They couldn't even bury some bones!”

Edge growled at her and Red could see the darker color creeping back into his brother's magic.  **“Boss, you can't fight her or it'll push you over again”** Red was fairly sure Edge hadn't heard a word he'd said. Edge’s eyelights were locked solely on Undyne. He needed to get them out of here and now!  **“Sorry boss but I'm not going to lose you like that again”** Red said dragging up every scrap of magic he could and surrounded him and Edge in it. Undyne turned her attention to smaller skeleton surprised by the magic coming off him, then she blinked and they were both gone. 


	8. The point of no return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue really needs to learn to relax and the fell brothers are in for some shocks.

Blue and Stretch were sitting on the couch watching TV and munching on the casserole Undyne and Alphys had brought over. Stretch took the plates into the kitchen and made Blue a second cup of tea, slipping more medicine into it.

“THANKS PAPY!” Blue said happily taking the cup. Stretch shrugged sat down on the couch. Blue's fever was way down and he definitely had more energy than yesterday, so Stretch didn't feel _too_ bad for tricking Blue.

They watched TV for a little while longer. Honestly Stretch thought the show was kind of boring, but it made Blue happy. It was about half way through the game show that Stretch suddenly felt extra weight on his side.  He looked down to see Blue curled up against him sound asleep. He knew the medicine’s side effects warned that it could cause drowsiness, but he hadn't expected it to knock Blue out like this. He shifted planning to carry Blue up to his room, but his brother whimpered and clutched his hoodie tighter and snuggling his face closer.

“heh, okay bro let's just take a nap here then” he said leaning back into the couch and closed his eyes. He had only meant to drift off a little so that way he'd wake up if Blue needed him for something. But he fell fast asleep with his brother nestled in his side.

About an hour later Blue started to stir yawning hugely, before he noticed that Stretch was still asleep. Carefully he slid off the couch and pulled the throw off the back of the couch and draped it over his brother. Blue stood back from the couch and smiled at his brother, before heading into the kitchen. He was shocked when it looked like someone had recently cleaned the floor.

“WOWSERS PAPY SWEPT IN HERE!” Blue said to himself as went to the sink, but all the dishes were cleaned with only a few sitting in the drainer. Blue frowned as he put those away. He couldn't go on patrol or train right now, so what was he supposed to if Stretch was doing the chores! He went up stairs finally finding something to do. The bathroom still had a couple days worth of laundry. He grabbed the tote and headed into Stretch’s room to find about a week of laundry scattered across the room. Blue sighed at mess, but started gathering the dirty clothes. Blue never really got on Stretch’s case about his room; Stretch was a smart aleck and Blue was afraid to start a war he knew he couldn't win.

After he had all the laundry put in the washer he walked back into living room. Stretch was still asleep so Blue say in front of the couch and watched TV for a minute, but he was really feeling a lot better. He shifted around unable to sit still. He sighed and grabbed a notepad quickly telling Stretch where he would be and grabbed his coat.

_PAPY, I'M FEELING BETTER SO I WENT ON A WALK, BE BACK SOON,_

_SANS_

Blue quietly left out the front door and heading for the little hiking trail behind their house. Blue loved this little trail it was a pretty easy walk; not too many dips and stayed pretty even overall. Small bluebirds flitted between the pine trees above, chattering happily. Blue smiled wider and started whistling as he went.

It was after about half a mile that he started feeling the cold even through his coat. The chill was rattling his bones and his breathing was little ragged. The ache in his joints was starting up again and making up for lost time. “I SHOULD PROBABLY HEAD BACK SOON” Blue said to himself as he leaned against a tree, trying to even out his breathing.

**_Boom!_ **

Blue's head snapped up. “WHAT WAS THAT?” It hadn't sounded that far from him. He sucked in a deep breath and headed in direction of the explosion. “I HOPE NO ONE WAS HURT” Blue picked up his pace. He could just make out a clearing up a ahead when he heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice.

 **“SANS! DAMMIT YOU STAY WITH ME!”** It sounded like Stretch, but there was a roughness to his voice that Blue couldn't imagine in his own brother's voice. **“BROTHER, PLEASE, HANG ON.”** Blue hurried to the edge of the clearing and froze.

Sitting in the middle of the of the clearing was a tall skeleton clad in spiked black armor. His back was to Blue and he was crouching over something, but Blue couldn't see what.

“HEY, ARE YOU OKA-” Blue yelped and jumped back as several pointed red bone spikes came up inches from his face. The dark skeleton had turned to face him. His eyes were a glowing a terrifying red color as he glared at Blue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **“ahhg f-fuck”** Red gasped as they popped into his lab. His soul was throbbing painfully in his chest and his whole body was tingly and numb. The marrow from his wound was running faster down his face. Instead of a thick dark red color, it was translucent almost colorless and extremely thin. A bad sign that Red had overused his magic, and then some.

 **“SANS, WHY DID YOU MA- . . . SANS!”** Edge’s voice nearly cracked as he looked down at his brother. Red's bones were turning a pale gray and was shaking in Edge’s arms. Red clenched his hands tightly against his brother's armor, trying to stay upright and conscious. Edge carefully climbed to his feet shifting his brother so he could hold him with one arm. He checked his HP again 0.6/1 than just a few seconds later 0.599/1. **“SANS, YOUR HP. . . IT'S FALLING”**

 **“L-lever”** Red mumbled, trying unsuccessfully to gather his thoughts. **“f-flip th-the l-lever”**

 **“SANS WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT”** Edge asked slightly confused till Red pointed to machine in the back of the lab. **“IT'S DONE? ARE YOU SURE? HAVE YOU TESTED IT YET”**

 **“Y-yes I-I t-tested it”** Red's response was almost drowned out by the sound of wood cracking. Red spears were struck through the door of the lab. **“f-fuck, h-how d-did sh-she f-find u-us a-already?”**

 **“SHE CAN HUNT A MONSTER ALMOST SOLELY OFF THEIR MAGICAL AURA, AND WITH AN LV AS HIGH AS MINE, SHE COULD'VE FOUND US IF YOU HAD TELEPORTED US TO THE CAPITAL”** Edge growled summoning several layers of crisscrossing bones in front of the lab door. He then turned and flipped the lever Red had pointed to, and stood back as the machined came to life. Edge blinked in surprise as brightly lit snow clearing came into view. **“AND YOU'RE SURE THIS WON'T KILL US OR SOMETHING?”**

 **“yeah, Boss”** Red was barely there enough to answer his brother's question. His voice was hardly even a whisper and his word were slurred slightly. Edge nodded before summoning twelve of his explosive bones and jamming them into the walls Red's desk and round the machine.

 **“THEN LET'S MAKE SURE THEY CAN'T FOLLOW US”** Edge said as Undyne broke down the door and first layer of bones. A very strong part of Edge wanted to push Red through the portal by himself and kill Undyne for all of this. His own sanity be damned! This bitch had nearly killed Red. He would have done it if he thought Red could have found help on his own. So instead of getting the revenge he so badly wanted, he watched as Undyne tore through another layer of bone. At the last second before the bones exploded he jumped through the portal using his body to shield Red. The force from the explosion threw him into the snow and had his skull ringing.

 **“SO SANS, WHERE EXACTLY ARE WE?”** Edge asked as he pushed himself up out of the snow. He looked around they were clearly in Snowdin forest, but he wasn't sure where. He looked down at Red to see if he had an answer. **“SANS, BROTHER?”**

Red's eyes had gone out and his shaking had stopped, in fact he'd stopped moving in general. Edge started to panic when he realized that Red was barely breathing, in weak, slow and shallow gasps.

 **“SANS! DAMMIT YOU STAY WITH ME!”** Edge yelled trying shake his brother awake without hurting him worse. Using his pointed teeth he ripped off a portion of his scarf and pressed gently but as firmly as he dared against the wound on his brother's eye. He choked as his brother's HP dropped below 0.3 (0.256/1). **“BROTHER, PLEASE, HANG ON.”** Edge begged summoning a good share of magic into his hands and tried to turn it green, to heal his brother. But the magic stayed red, as Edge nearly broke down. HP 0.249/1. He couldn't stop it! He couldn't even slow it down. **“BROTHER, PLEASE”** He whispered feeling like his own soul was being ripped out and dusted right in front of him.

“HEY, ARE YOU OKA-” The sudden voice made Edge jump and his magic summoned several bone spikes between him and the monster that made it. Edge stared in shock at the brightly dressed skeleton standing just outside the clearing. **_THERE IS NO WAY THAT'S ANY VERSION OF SANS!_ ** Edge thought to himself as wide blue eyelights stared at him with fear clearly showing in his eyes, till they suddenly flicked down. The fear was quickly replaced with concern. “YOUR FRIEND, HE IS HURT BADLY!”

Edge didn't answer, he didn't know what to say. He looked down at Red feeling completely helpless as his HP dropped lower 0.216/1. His brother was dying and there was nothing he could do and no time to find a healer.

“MAY I APPROACH?” The blue skeleton asked with a soft yet worried expression. “HE NEEDS TO BE HEALED” Edge turned his attention back to the blue skeleton, disbelief and distrust in his expression.

 **“YOU CAN USE HEALING MAGIC?”** Edge asked and the other quickly nodded. **“FINE, BUT IF YOU TRY ANYTHING, YOU'LL BE DUST”**

The other nodded before warping to the other side of Red. Edge jumped when the blue skeleton was suddenly kneeling next to his brother. Though the other hadn't seen it, the sudden move had half summoned a ring of blasters to protect Edge and Red. Edge dispersed the blasters as the blue Sans summoned up green magic.

“HE'S IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE. WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM” He asked Edge as he started focusing on the crack in his eye socket, trying to slow down magic loss that came with marrow loss.

 **“A LOT** **”** Edge said quietly as he glared down at snow. He couldn't believe that he had almost killed Red himself and then forced his own brother to push himself this far!

The smaller skeleton worked in silence after that. Once he got the crack to stop bleeding he poured extra magic into Red's soul to help stabilize it after hitting such low levels. When he pulled away he was exhausted but smiled up at Edge. “I'VE DONE WHAT I CAN FOR NOW, BUT HE SHOULD BE FINE. . . UMM BUT WHY DON'T YOU TWO COME TO MY HOUSE. HIS MARROW BLED INSIDE HIS SKULL SO WE NEED TO GET IT OUT BEFORE IT CAUSES ANY PROBLEMS”

 **“WHY ARE OFFERING?”** Edge asked trying to figure out this skeleton’s angle. **“WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GET OUT OF THIS”**

The other's eyes widen at the question. He could tell that they had been through a lot, with all the scars and wounds the two were sporting, but the level of cynicism from the taller skeleton still shocked him. “I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU TWO ARE OKAY. I MEAN, YOU'RE HURT TOO” he said pointing to the burn marks on Edge’s arms. Edge would've declined the offer, and the insinuation that he needed any help, but one look at Red told him, that his brother wouldn't last long if they didn't get out of the cold.

 **“FINE, LEAD THE WAY”** Edge said carefully picking up his brother and cradled him against his side so he had one free hand to block, or attack in case this was trapped.

“OKAY THIS WAY!” the smaller jumped to his feet stumbling a little before regaining his balance. “BY THE WAY, MY NAME IS SANS! SANS THE SKELETON, BUT EVERYONE JUST CALLS ME BLUE!”


	9. Can we see eye to eye?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue, Red and Edge talk on the way home, meanwhile Stretch is just finding out that Blue left

Stretch woke up with the sound of the washer going off. He groaned and blinked his eyes trying to wake up. He reached down to move Blue, but only found emptiness where his brother should have been. He jolted wide awake and threw the throw off him. “Blue!”

He ran into the laundry room hoping Blue was in there. Beside a load of freshly washed clothes the room had nothing. “Sans!” he yelled as ran up the stairs and check Blue's room. Empty. The bathroom. Empty. Stretch’s own room. Empty.

Blue wasn't in the house. Stretch pulled out his phone and dialed Blue's number. He held his breath praying that his brother would answer.

_RING! RING! RING!_

Stretch snapped his phone of as Blue's went off in his room. “Sans where the hell are you!” he growled and went downstairs finally noticing the note left on the coffee table. Stretch wanted to yell when he read the note. _Blue, you're sick! You need to be resting! Not tramping through the forest!_ He snarled in his head as he headed to the front door.

Stretch bit back a loud string of curses when he opened the door to find no tracks outside their house. That meant one or two things; The still falling snow had been given the time to cover Blue's footprints, or Blue had teleported to where it was he wanted to walk. Stretch pulled out his phone and dialed Undyne.

“P-Papyrus? I-is s-something w-wrong?” She asked already worrying as she Ramen put down.

“Yeah, Blue snuck out while I was sleeping, and I have no idea where he is or how long he's been gone for” Stretch said pacing around the outside of the house looking for any sign of his brother. He heard Undyne gasp a little and start clicking on her computer.

“I-I w-will ch-check th-the c-cameras a-and f-figure o-out wh-when and wh-where B-blue went” Undyne said pulling up the Snowdin footage. “Wh-what? S-something h-has t-taken out th-the c-cameras in th-the Snowdin area” Undyne nearly choked as she went back through nearly an hour and a half of white static. When the imagine did final it was another ten before she saw Blue head into the woods.

“What? So you can't help?” Stretch asked true panic starting to set in. How was he going find his brother now?

“B-blue w-walked into th-the w-woods o-over an hour and a half ago” Undyne said pulling away from her computer and heading out of her lab. “Th-the c-cameras g-go out b-before h-he c-comes o-out a-again” she said heading for the river person's boat. “I-I’m g-going to g-get A-Alphys and m-meet y-you in S-snowdin”

“Okay I'll see if I can get the dog pack to help” Stretch said heading towards Muffet’s where hopefully he'd find the dogs. “If we're going to have to search the forest we're going to need them”

“G-good i-idea,s-see y-you i-in a b-bit” She said before hanging up and Stretch made it to Muffet’s. He pushed the door of the little cafè open. Luck just wasn't on his side today. The place was completely empty.

“Oh, hello Papyrus. Is something wrong? You haven't been in a while” Muffet asked as she swiped a table with one pair of hands and gathered dirty dishes with another.

“Blue is sick, and couldn't stay home and I've no clue where he went. Do you know where the dogs are?” Stretch asked as Muffet walked behind the counter to put the dishes in the sink. She nodded and stopped just outside the kitchen.

“Dogamy and Dogaressa just left for their sentry stations. So if you hurry you should be able to catch them” Muffet hadn't even finished her sentence before Stretch bolted out the door heading after the two dogs. She sighed and stirred up her large armored spider pet. Knowing Stretch and the dogs they'd want to do their meeting here and her pet could help track Blue.

“Dogamy! Dogaressa” Stretch called as the two dogs came into view. They stopped and waited the skeleton to catch up to them. “I need help finding Blue, any chance you guys and the rest of the pack can help?”

The two exchanged a worried look with each other. Blue was good friend to the dog pack, always up for a run and glad to throw them a bone or two. They looked at Stretch and nodded “Give us ten minutes to round up the rest of the pack and we'll meet you just outside Muffet’s” Dogamy said before they ran off to get the other dogs. Stretch sighed but went back to his house to wait for Undyne and Alphys.

“Bro you had better be okay” he growled under his breath as he sat on the front steps.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **“BLUE?”** Edge asked with a raised brow bone. **_WHAT KIND OF NAME IS BLUE?_ ** Edge asked to himself, thinking the name sounded about as stupid as it could get. Especially considering how bright and happy the little bugger was. **“HOW'D THEY COME WITH THAT”** Edge asked himself.

“IT STARTED BECAUSE MY BROTHER USED TO CALL ME BLUEBERRY, BUT IT JUST GOT SHORTENED TO BLUE” Blue answered as he stumbled through the snowy brush. His head was spinning and he was having a hard time staying on his feet. “WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHAT'S YOUR NAME?”

 **“PAPYRUS”** He said flatly, not a trace of his usual bravado. All his focus was on Red, who was breathing evenly even if it was still a tad bit shallow.

“OH, MY BROTHER'S NAME IS PAPYRUS AS WELL. DO YOU HAVE A NICKNAME WE CAN CALL YOU SO IT DOESN'T GET CONFUSING?” Blue asked stopping to catch his breath, and trying hide the shaking in his arms and legs.

 **“CALL ME WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT”** Edge said looking down at Blue. The other looked dizzy and his steps had been wobbly at best. Edge shook off the thoughts before real concern could be stirred up. He could still be leading them into a trap.

“ LANGUAGE!” Blue said on reflex. Edge rolled his eyes at Blue. Of course this little blueberry was bothered by one four letter word. As foolish as he thought it was he went with it, knowing that Red was ultimately the one who would pay if he pissed off Blue.

 **“OKAY, FINE! BUT CAN WE KEEP MOVING”** Edge said impatiently. Blue nodded and started off again seemingly even more unsteady on his feet.

“HOW ABOUT EDGE?” Blue suddenly asked looking back at the darker skeleton.

 **“I ALREADY SAID, CALL ME WHATEVER YOU WANT”** Edge said in a gruff voice. He really didn't care what he was called, he just wanted to get Red out of the cold. That was all he cared about right now.

“OKAY” Blue pouted at Edge’s cold response, but he didn't give up on getting the taller skeleton to talk. “WHAT ABOUT YOUR BROTHER? HIS NAME IS ALSO SANS RIGHT? SO DOES HE HAVE A NICKNAME?”

 **“NO”** Edge said flatly. The more Blue talked, the more certain Edge was that this was a trap. And that Blue's constant chatter was an attempt to distract him from noticing whatever was waiting up head.

 **“Jeez boss, you're being pretty cold”** Red said weakly and not all that awake. Edge sighed in relief as he looked down and meet his brother's eyelights. **“Sorry about his manners, but I promise my brother isn't snow bad once ya get to know him”**

Blue smiled at the pun and starting talking to Red. “SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT HE JUST COMES ACROSS AS FROSTY, BUT HE'S ACTUALLY AN ICE GUY, ONCE HE CHILLS OUT”

Red chuckled weakly as Edge groaned. His brother was unbelievable! Even when he could barely hold his head up, he still found a way to make Edge suffer through those awful puns.

 **“WILL YOU TWO COOL IT WITH THE PUNS?”** Edge asked then cursing in his head as Red and Blue both laughed at his unintentional pun.

 **“How about we leave them to you in-sled”** Red said resting his head against his brother's chest.

 **“BROTHER, DON'T TEST ME. I WILL DROP YOU”** Edge threatened, but Red just laughed not at all worried.

 **“sure ya will”** Red said and Edge smiled. He was glad his brother felt good enough to give him a hard time.

 **“GO BACK TO SLEEP”** Edge said shifting his arm slightly. He was only half joking; Red definitely needed more rest.

 **“Nah, think I'll stay up for a bit”** Red said before turning to Blue. **“So you're coming up with nicknames for us?”**

 **“** I'M TRYING, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS?” Blue asked as they finally got back on the trail that led to his house.

 **“Well if you're Blue, then how about I be Red?”** Red said while Edge shifted again with growing unease. Blue's was slowing with every word. His eyes darted between the trees looking for signs that trouble was about to begin. **“Hey, boss calm down. This place is really different. No one's lookin to hurt us”**

 **“AND HOW CAN YOU BE SURE”** Edge asked not relaxing. Blue pouted and looked like he wanted to say something, but Red beat him to it.

 **“Boss I've been here before, spent nearly a whole day here. I never saw anyone even hit another, let alone try an kill someone”** Red said the tiredness creeping back up on him. **“There is about as much in common with our place and here as the color schemes between Blue and I”**

Edge nodded not sure if he could believe that but he did try to at least look more relaxed. Red closed his eyes falling back to sleep. Edge gently rubbed the back of his skull and his shoulders.

“YOU REALLY DON'T NEED TO BE AFRAID. EVERYONE IS REALLY NICE AND THEY'D LOVE TO MEET YOU GUYS” Blue said with a bright smile, that Edge normally have assumed was fake, but something in it seemed to genuine to doubt.

 **“YOUR FRIENDS WOULD BE TERRIFIED IF THEY MET ME”** Edge growled though it was softer than before.

“WHAT WHY WOULD THEY BE AFRAID OF YOU?” Blue asked before stumbling and having to catch himself on a tree.

 **“YOU'VE OBVIOUSLY NOT CHECKED MY STATS”** Edge said like it was the most apparent thing in the underground. Blue raised a brow bone at him and crossed his arms.

“OF COURSE NOT! IT'S RUDE TO JUST CHECK SOMEONE STATS WITHOUT PERMISSION!” Blue snapped sounding truly offered. Edge blinked in disbelief. Checking stats was the first you did when meeting a new monster back in his timeline.

 **“REALLY? WELL THERE ONE MORE OF THOSE DIFFERENCES SA- RED WAS TALKING ABOUT”** Edge said motioning that should get walking again. Blue planted his feet and glared at Edge.

“ARE YOU SAYING YOU CHECKED MY STATS!” Blue said really mad now. “THAT WAS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!” Blue nearly yelled. His low HP had always been a sore point for him and the idea that this dark skeleton now knew about it, left him feeling rather cross. Edge returned the glare and anger, he was getting from the blueberry, but turned his body to protect Red.

 **“OF COURSE I FUCKING CHECKED! IF YOU TRIED ANYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT I WAS UP AGAINST! BECAUSE IF YOU HAD HURT MY BROTHER I SURE AS HELL WAS GOING TO MAKE SURE YOUR'S WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH DUST TO SPREAD”** Edge said stepping forward, making Blue have to crane his neck all the way back to maintain eye contact. **“I'VE LIVED MY WHOLE LIFE BY THE LAW OF KILL OR BE KILLED. AND I'VE BUSTED MY ASS TO MAKE SURE SANS STAYED ALIVE! SO POLITENESS BE DAMNED. IF IT KEEPS ME AND MY BROTHER ALIVE I'LL DO IT, EVEN IF IT MEANS COATING THE UNDERGROUND IN DUST”**

Blue stepped back slightly he was admittedly scared of the taller skeleton. He couldn't stop himself from checking the the other's stats after that declaration. **Papyrus HP 756/1285 LV 16.** He gasped and tried to retreat from the taller skeleton but stumbled falling flat on his back.

Edge frowned actually feeling bad for scaring Blue. Dammit he just looked too much like Red. He leaned down a little and offered Blue a hand up. **“YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF, UNLESS YOU TRY TO THREATEN US, I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU”** Edge said looking at the still terrified Blue. He was about to drop his hand when a small gloved hand grabbed his.

“P-PROMISE?”


	10. Let's talk this out . . . Or not that works too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue Red and Edge make it home, meanwhile Stretch is given some bleak news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left suggestions on how Stretch gets his nickname. It really helped!

Edge nodded and pulled Blue to his feet. **“YES, I AM NOT GOING TO JUST KILL SOMEONE WITHOUT REASON”**

Blue opened his mouth to argue that there was no such thing as reason to kill; it was wrong, but he doubted the other would listen. “COME ON LET'S GET GOING” Blue said heading forward. He was a little uneasy having Edge behind him. He'd heard that having a high LV would make you crazy and unpredictable.

Edge barely payed attention to Blue's discomfort he was more focused on his brother. Any slight change in breathing or twitch from his brother damn near stopped his soul. Edge had been responsible for keeping Red alive his whole life. Losing his healing magic had taken a considerable chunk out of his confidence to take care of his brother. In an attempt to compensate for the lost ability, he had raised his LV at faster rate than before, so that others would be too afraid to cross him and Red.

_SNAP!_

Edge jumped from his thoughts two fully formed blasters summoned behind him. He scanned the trees for the source of the sound and finding nothing. Nothing, including Blue. He sighed assuming that Blue had decided to run away, that is until he heard a small moan. His eyes darted down to find Blue sprawled out in the snow. **“HEY, YOU OKAY?”** he asked checking Blue's HP to make sure he hadn't hurt himself. HP 23/26.

Blue nodded and tried to push himself up on shaking arms. He was so cold and he wanted out of the snow. He yelped when something yanked him into the air by the back of his coat. He looked back at Edge as the darker skeleton lifted him off the ground. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING”

 **“I'M CARRYING YOU, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING?”** Edge said as he dropped Blue on his shoulders. **“YOU'VE BEEN STUMBLING LIKE YOU'RE DRUNK AND YOU JUST FACE PLANTED INTO THE SNOW. YOU'RE SHAKING AND COULDN'T EVEN PICK YOURSELF UP OFF THE GROUND”**

“I WAS FINE” Blue mumbled but wrapped an arm around the top of Edge’s skull so he didn't fall off.

 **“SURE, NOW WHICH WAY DO I GO?”** Edge said trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. Blue pointed down the trail and dropped his head against Edge’s skull. Edge frowned at the heat coming off of Blue. He had thought that Blue’s coordination problems had been because he had overdone it healing Red, but the fever proved that wrong. He took off down the trail trying to keep the pace slow enough that Blue could tell him if there was a turn he needed to take. It wasn't long before the back of what looked like the house he and Red had once lived in, but this one was a bright light blue.

 **“DO YOU HAVE THE KEY”** Edge asked after trying to open the door. **_AT LEAST THERE'S ONE THING COMMON._ ** He thought to himself, leaving your door unlocked was begging for trouble.

“NO, I THINK I LEFT IT IN MY ROOM” Blue said not lifting his head. Edge sighed but summoned a bone inside the keyhole. It shaped to the tumblers and with a twist of his wrist Edge unlocked the door. “MWEH, TALK ABOUT A SKELETON KEY”

 **“I'LL DROP YOU TOO, IF YOU START THOSE PUNS AGAIN”** Edge warned as he walked into the house ducking so he didn't hit Blue's head against the top of the door frame. Blue smiled but held back his chuckle at Edge’s teasing threat.

“WHY DON'T YOU PUT RED DOWN ON THE COUCH AND I'll GET THE STUFF TO FINISH CLEANING HIS WOUND” Blue said waiting till Edge had placed Red on the couch to jump to the floor. He yelped as the move jolted his whole body. Edge grabbed Blue and put him on the couch next to Red.

 **“YOU STAY PUT. JUST TELL ME WHERE YOU KEEP THE FIRST AID STUFF”** Edge growled grabbing a small blanket off the floor and throwing it on top of Blue.

“IT'S UP IN THE BATHROOM” Blue said as Edge got to his feet. He nodded and ran upstairs to grab the first aid kit. Blue shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around himself. “I WONDER WHERE PAPY WENT”

Edge hurried back down the stairs with a bunch of gauze and some medicine. He stopped in front of the couch and looked at Blue. **“DO YOU TAKE MEDICINE, OR NOT”** Edge asked holding a bottle of pills in one hand. Blue shook his head and shrank into his blanket. **“NYEH I DON'T BLAME YOU. ME AND SA- RED ONLY STARTED KEEPING ANY SORT OF MEDICATION BECAUSE OF HOW SHITTY CONDITIONS WERE BEING IN THE ROYAL GUARD. NETHER ONE OF US WERE VERY FOND OF ANYTHING THAT REMINDED US OF . . .”**

“OF _THAT_ TIME” Blue finished quietly. Edge nodded slowly. “UM COULD YOU GUYS NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT _THAT_ AROUND MY BROTHER. HE DOESN'T REALLY REMEMBER AND HE DOESN'T NEED TO”

 **“SURE, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT TOPIC STIRS UP ANY ENDEARING MEMORIES ANYWAY”** Edge agreed slipping into the kitchen and coming back with a bowl of water and clean dish sponge. **“SPEAKING OF YOUR BROTHER, WHERE IS HE?”**

“PROBABLY OUT TO MUFFET’S DRINKING HONEY OR SOMETHING” Blue answered as Edge soaked the sponge in water and began cleaning Red's skull. Blue was shocked that Red could stay asleep while Edge was doing that. Edge worked with a controlled caution that seemed contradictory to his sharp appearance, being gentle enough to ensure to Red stayed asleep.

 **“DO YOU WANT ME TO GO FIND HIM FOR YOU”** Edge asked as he finished with cleaning his brother's skull and grabbed a couple pills. Edge closed his eyes and let red magic wreath his hands. Blue stared mutely as flecks of gold magic started to form in the red. The gold sent a chilling feeling across Blue's bones. It wasn't the normal ethereal looking magic; it had a hard metallic glint to it. When the gold had devoured the red Edge crushed the pills in his hand then poured the gold magic into his brother, giving a little extra attention to the crack on his eye.

“WHAT KIND OF HEALING MAGIC IS THAT?” Blue asked as Edge pulled away from his brother. Edge frowned and curled his hands into fists.

 **“TRUST ME IT'S NOT HEALING MAGIC. I JUST LEARNED THAT I COULD USE IT TO GET MEDICINE INTO MY BROTHER WITHOUT FORCING IT DOWN HIS THROAT.”** Edge said as he climbed to his feet. **“I'M GOING TO FIND YOUR BROTHER YOU STAY HERE AND REST”**

“OKAY” Blue pouted but gave him instructions to find Muffet’s, to Edge it sounded like in this world Muffet’s was where Grillby’s was in their own timeline. “SEE YOU IN A MINUTE” Blue said waving happily as Edge left out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Papyrus calm down, we'll find Blue. We have a plan and plenty of time. He'll be fine once we find him” Alphys said grabbing the back of the Stretch’s hoodie and forcing him to stop pacing.

“Alphys, he sick and been out in the woods for almost two hours now” Stretch said pulling on the end of his sleeve. Undyne put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

“W-we w-will f-find h-his, j-just t-try t-to b-be m-more p-positive” she said just before Doggo rushed inside Muffet’s gasping and shaking hard. Which wouldn't have been unusual for the normally high-strung and nosey dog, but the absolutely petrified look in his eyes screamed that something was wrong.

“Captain, we . . . We have trouble” Doggo panted running over to Alphys with a scrap of red fabric soaked in something awfully blood like.

“Blue! That's Blue's scent”

“That's Blue's blood!”

“Oh no Blue's hurt!” the dog pack started talking to each other slightly panicked. Until Doggo spoke again.

“Blue's dead” he said quivering slightly. Undyne gasped and placed a hand over her mouth, while both Stretch and Alphys went stone still. Everything went dead silent after Doggo’s statement.

“You had better have some damn good proof to prove that claim beyond one bloodied piece of fabric” Alphys growled at Doggo. He nodded and looked over his shoulder.

“I saw the one who did it. It was a dark skeleton, had black spiky armor, and he was covered in blood and dust” Doggo said a slight whine slipping from between his teeth as he continued. “I picked up his scent where I found that scrap, and went to check things out. He was wearing a red scarf with a torn end that looked like it made of the same fabric as that scrap. I checked his stats” he whimpered and looked at Alphys with true panic in his eyes. “His LV was 16 and had over twelve hundred points of health!”

“What! Are you sure Doggo! Another skeleton? I never knew there any other skeletons besides Blue and Papyrus” she look at Stretch to see if he knew of any other skeletons, but he just stood there eyelights out, and no expression on his face. After a moment of pause Alphys continued taking. “and 16 LV, that's not possible. No one besides Blue has gone missing and while Blue is a tough little bugger there's no way killing him could raise someone's LV up 16”

“I'm telling you that's what I saw and that monster was heading this way” Doggo growled. The rest of the dogs started whimpering and talking among themselves. Alphys gripped her axe before kicking into full captain mode.

“Which direction did you see it coming from. And how long till it reaches Snowdin” Alphys ordered heading for the door. Dogamy and Dogaressa followed after as Doggo quickly explained that the monster had been spotted between here and Waterfall.

“P-Papyrus a-are y-you o-okay?” Undyne asked the still motionless skeleton. She was really beginning to worry about him. He hadn't spoke a word since Doggo entered the café. His eyelights having gone out the second the cloth had been revealed and not returning since. She jumped when he suddenly started walking towards the door the royal guards had just left through. “Wh-where a-are y-you g-going?”

“To kill the bastard that killed my brother” he answered in a deadpan voice and lightless eyes. Undyne ran after him barely keeping pace with him.

“P-Papyrus h-he's t-too st-strong” she tried to reason with him, but he just shrugged. Even if he couldn't win he was going to try and destroy the monster that took his brother from him. They came to stop as they caught up with Alphys and the rest of the royal guard. Stretch looked ahead and saw a tall dark figure approaching them.

“that's him, that's the one” Doggo whined quietly. The dark figure stopped a couple yards away and crossed his arms. His red eyelights shining through the thin mist. The crimson scarf around his neck was definitely the same fabric as the bloody scrap Doggo had found.

“Blue's scent is all over him” Dogaressa whispered in horror. Stretch glared at the other skeleton. He was tall, maybe even taller than Stretch was, and had sharp teeth, a cracked eye socket, and was covered in burn marks. Everything about this skeleton screamed danger and Blue had probably tried befriending him only to get slaughtered. Stretch hated this skeleton in front of him.

 **“I SEE YOU GUYS HAVE GATHERED QUITE THE WELCOMING PARTY HERE”** The dark skeleton said his teeth curling up in a smile. **“AND I ASSUME YOU'VE BROUGHT YOUR GUARDS** **SO THAT WE COULD PLAY A GAME TAG?”** He said mockingly as Alphys launched a flurry of magic axes at him. He summoned a single bone in his hand and blocked all of them with ease. **“MY TURN?”**

_Ping!_

Alphys’s whole body was highlighted in red magic before she was slammed into ground with grunt.


	11. Edge does not negotiate.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Swaps get a first hand experience to Edge’s negotiation style!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating yesterday Tuesdays and Thursdays are my busiest days so I didn't get a chapter written.

Edge wasn't even surprised when he found what looked to be the majority of the royal guard waiting for him. It had shocked him to see Alphys in armor with the Captain’s badge shining on her chest plate and Undyne in a lab coat practically hiding behind a hoodie wearing skeleton.

 **“IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?”** He taunted as Alphys struggled against the red magic holding her down. The dogs snarled but before they could move or make themselves a nuisance, Edge summoned several rings of bone spikes trapping them inside. **“I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GIVE ME A REASON FOR ATTACKING ME?”**

“Oh like you can't guess why! You worthless piece of shit!” Stretch yelled summoning three blasters and firing them in the same instant that they formed. Edge took the blow from all three not expecting the suddenness of the attack. 723/1285. He summoned his own blasters and fired them. Stretch easily summon a wall of bones to deflect the blasts.

 **“I'M HONESTLY CLUELESS AS TO WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE TO PISS YOU OFF BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO PUSH ME MUCH FARTHER THAN THIS”** Edge warned as he dodged Stretch’s bone attacks. He could feel that dark craving to take the violence to the next level to just dust these monsters and enjoy the rush as his LV went up again. He pushed it back struggling to keep his attacks restrained.

“You killed the wrong person, you dirty brother killer!” Stretch snarled turning Edge’s soul blue and throwing him at the wall of nearby building. Edge flipped himself mid air and kicked off the building rolling out of the way as a bunch of bone spikes shot out of the place he had just been.

 **“OH SO YOU ARE PAPYRUS?”** Edge casting several red bones and firing them fast. Edge could only cast red magic on one person without landing a direct hit to carry the spell and holding down Alphys took up that one free red spell. Stretch barely had to sidestep to avoid the attack.

“You missed” Stretch said trying to get a rise out of the darker skeleton. He just smirked at Stretch before chuckling.

 **“NO I HIT EXACTLY THE TARGET I WAS AIMING FOR”** Edge pulling his hand back and yanking Undyne over to him. His red magic binding her arms behind her back. A summoned bone knife was pressed against her scaly neck, digging in and drawing blood. **“STOP THIS NOW!”**

“You son of bitch!” Stretch snarled but put his hands up in surrender. Edge didn't relax. His eyes kept jumping around the group waiting for the next attack.

 **“GOOD CHOICE, NOW IF YOU COULD PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY YOU ARE ATTACKING ME, AND WHAT THE FUCK YOU MEAN BY ‘** **_DIRTY BROTHER’_ ** **KILLER.  YOUR BROTHER, BLUE, SENT ME TO FIND YOU”** Edge snapped, having a hard time keeping his temper in check. He was already past the level of bull shit he could take in a day, so if he didn't get answers pretty quick someone was going to be dust.

“You mean Blue is still alive?” Stretch asked his eyelights reappearing as he tried to gauge if the darker skeleton was lying.

 **“AS FAR AS MY KNOWLEDGE GOES YES. I LEFT HIM AND MY BROTHER SITTING ON THE COUCH IN YOUR HOUSE”** Edge said as Undyne let out a pained whimpered. The knife was still digging into her neck and it was starting to really hurt.

“Let her go” Alphys growled still trying to escape the red magic pinning her by not only her soul but also her body. She'd been pinned under blue magic while training with Blue, but this was different blue magic could only affect soul but this magic was also weighing on her physically.

 **“I'LL DROP ALL MY ATTACKS IF YOU ARE DONE TRYING TO ATTACK ME”** Edge said as Alphys glared at him before nodding reluctantly. Edge dispersed his magic and released Undyne; who quickly staggered over to Alphys and Stretch. **“I'M NOT LOOKING TO ADD ANOTHER NAME TO MY KILLING STREAK. IT KIND OF DEFEATS THE WHOLE POINT OF COMING HERE”**

“Coming here? What hell hole did you climb out of” Alphys snarled, pushing Undyne behind her.

 **“I'M NOT REALLY SURE, MY BROTHER IS THE SCIENTIST, NOT ME, BUT HELL SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY APT DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE”** Edge said giving her a sharp toothed smile. Alphys’s expression remained unimpressed as she glared at Edge.

“I have a question for you. If Blue is fine then why did we find a piece of your scarf with his blood all over it” Stretch growled looking at Edge.

 **“I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING . . . IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT'S MY BROTHER'S BLOOD? HIS EYE SOCKET WAS DAMAGED JUST BEFORE WE CAME HERE, AND I TORE A PIECE OFF MY SCARF TO TRY AND SLOW THE BLEEDING”** Edge offered with shrug. The dogs snarled and shook their heads.

“It's Blue's scent we know it!” Dogaressa snarled.

 **“YOU SURE YOU HAVEN'T CONFUSED IT?”**  Edge asked. The dog shook their heads and Edge sighed. **“WELL I'M ALL OUT OF FUCKS TO GIVE ABOUT THIS POINTLESS SHIT, SO I'M HEADING BACK TO CHECK ON MY BROTHER, AND I'D SUGGEST YOU DO THE SAME. BLUE HAD A HIGH FEVER WHEN I LEFT”** Edge said pointing that last bit at Stretch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blue was shivering under the thin throw watching TV when Red started coming around. He groaned and opened his eyes the red dots of light darted around the trying to figure out where he was. **“guess we made it to your place?”** Red had meant it to be a statement but it ended up sounding more like a question.

“Y-YEAH” Blue answered his voice wavering with his chills. Red pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at Blue.

 **“You cold Blue?”** Red asked as Blue shook his head. Red shook his head striped his jacket off and threw it at Blue. **“Really cause my bull shit detector is going off, on that one”**

“L-LANGUAGE” Blue growled, but pulled on the jacket. Blue eyed the dark red turtleneck sweater Red had on. It looked thick and covered his neck all the way down a couple inches past the hem of his pants. Red chuckled and rolled his eyes.

 **“I** **_swear_ ** **I'll try to stop the cussing”** Red said earning a laugh from Blue. The two sat after in comfortable silence for a while, that is until Blue decided it was question time.

“S-SO WH-WHERE A-ARE Y-YOU F-FROM?” Blue said pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

 **“Do you know anything about different timelines?”** Red asked. Blue nodded turning to face Red more completely.

“Y-YEAH, P-PAPY T-TALKS A-ABOUT TH-THEM S-SOMETIMES, B-BUT IT U-USUALLY G-GOES O-OVER M-MY H-HEAD” Blue admitted with a slight blush on his face.

 **“basically everything in your universe is just one grain of sand in the desert of the multiverse and then timelines are just various versions of similar universes. Me and my brother come from a different universe we jumped from our grain of sand to yours”** Red explained making sure Blue didn't look completely lost. Blue nodded Red made this sound a lot easier than when Stretch started using quantum physics and words that should be sentences all on their own.

“B-BUT W-WHY D-DID Y-YOU L-LEAVE. I M-MEAN EDGE A-ALREADY T-TOLD M-ME TH-THAT IT W-WASN'T A V-VERY S-SAFE, OR N-NICE P-PLACE. B-BUT D-DIDN'T Y-YOU L-LEAVE A-ANY F-FRIENDS B-BEHIND?” Blue asked tilting his head. Red shook his and looked at his hands.

 **“Friends were a bad idea, they'd probably backstab you given half a chance, plus as long as boss insisted on keeping me alive he couldn't afford to try. With 1 HP I was as good as free exp without him there to scare the others away”** Red's voice dropped as he spoke the next part. **“it's my fault his LV is so high. He was so terrified of something happening to me and not being able to keep us both safe. . . And I. . . I just gave up. I was sick of living in fear all the time; so I gave up.”** Red clenched his hands into fists, as he refuted Blue's unspoken denial of Red’s guilt.

 **“I stopped taking my jobs seriously, I stayed out late and got drunk. I stopped putting any effort into anything. For over a year, I** **_made_ ** **him feel responsible for all of it! He thought he wasn't strong enough. That I had lost faith in** **_him._ ** **But I hadn't, not really anyway. I just knew he couldn't always be there to save me and that someone would eventually take me out when Boss had his back turned. It took him putting a crack in my skull to realize how far I'd pushed him in his attempt to save me”** Red curled in on himself embarrassed, he usually didn't talk much, but something about Blue just made it too easy to put everything out in the open.

“H-HE D-DID TH-THAT T-TO Y-YOU?” Blue asked in shocked horror. Red nodded and brought a hand to the crack.

 **“The first time it got cracked, not the second; and honestly it proves how much he cares. Not many monsters can say they got away with punching a LV 15 monster in the face and lived to tell the tale”** Red said looking at Blue. **“I was drunk and he was yelling at me for staying out so late. I was being a jackass and got mad when he pointed it out. I hit him first and we at the top of stairs; he hit me back and accidentally knocked me down”**

“OH” Blue couldn't think of anything else to say. He looked at Red and placed a shaking hand on his shoulder. “WELL EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY NOW. YOU TWO BOTH ARE SAFE NOW, NO ONE IS GOING TO THREATEN YOU SO YOU CAN RELAX AND EDGE WON'T HAVE TO FIGHT ANYMORE”

 **“Yeah, getting him out of there was the only thing I could of for the last week”** Red said with a weak half smile on his face **“I probably over did it and scared the hell out of him though”**

 **“THAT AND THEN SOME”** Edge said as he walked soundlessly into the living room, a very annoyed looking Stretch following behind him.

“Blue!” Stretch shoved Edge roughly out of the way and ran over to his brother. “Goddammit Bro! Don't scare me like that again”

 **“BROTHER, HOW ARE YOU FEELING?”** Edge asked as he also approached. Red looked up his brother and frowned. There were new burn marks on him, and the edges were too clean to be from fire. Red turned to glare at Stretch.

 **“you used fucking blasters on my Bro”** he growled and Edge put his hand Red's shoulder.

 **“THERE WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING, HE WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT I HAD KILLED BLUE HERE”** Edge explained trying to calm his brother.

“PAPY YOU ATTACKED HIM” Blue asked disappointment ringing clear in his voice.

 **“IT'S FINE EVERYTHING WORKED OUT, SO LET'S NOT PROD IT AROUND UNTIL IT BECOMES ANOTHER FIGHT”** Edge growled the half hid irritation in his voice being enough to stop the argument. Once he was sure the argument was dropped he folded his arms and asked Stretch **“SO CAN YOU COOK, OR SHOULD I”**

“go for it, I can't cook for sh- anything” Stretch filtered as Blue glared at him. Red moved to follow Edge but was pinned in place by his brother.

 **“Boss what are you doing”** He asked squirming under Edge’s hand.

 **“YOU STAY HERE AND REST. I'M ON MY LAST NERVE AND IT'S ALREADY SHOT, SO STAY HERE AND STOP WORRYING ME”** Edge said waiting for Red to nod before heading into the kitchen and looking at what he had to cook with.


	12. ASH-TRASH and Edge-Lord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sets up the platonic relationship between Edge and Stretch.

Blue shivered a small whimper escaping him. Stretch looked him finally noticing the black jacket. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of his brother wearing clothes from these dark invaders. He sure as hell didn't want them staying here for any length of time, but Blue had already invited them. He couldn't just kick them out. 

“Blue do you want me go get you another blanket?” Stretch asked trying to ignore the darker version of his brother sitting on the other side of the couch. Blue nodded pulling the jacket tighter around himself. 

“P-PLEASE P-PAPY. I-IT’S R-REALLY C-COLD” Blue answered shiver again as Stretch got to his feet. He bolted upstairs and grabbed a blanket of the closet, when he a loud yelp sounded from below. Stretch turned and hurried down stairs, to find Blue curled up one hand gripping at Red's shirt. Red though clearly worried kept his even and gently petted the back of Blue's skull. 

**“just breathe Blue. It'll be okay”** Red said looking up at Stretch with concern. Stretch walked over and threw the blanket on top of Blue. 

“Hey, Bro what's wrong? What can I do to help?” Stretch asked crouching next to the two of them. Blue was still shaking but this time it had nothing to with cold. 

“PAPY IT HURTS! EVERYTHING HURTS AGAIN” Blue cried tightening his grip on Red's shirt. Red and Stretch looked at each other both worried and clueless as to what they should do. 

“Blue, what do you want me to do? How can I help?” Stretch said helplessly. Blue whimpered and clenched his teeth. It felt like someone was driving nails through his bones making every movement hurt. 

**“DRINK THIS”** Edge said holding out a cup.  **“IT'S A HERBAL MIXTURE I GIVE RED IF HE EVER GETS SICK. IT'S BITTER AS HELL BUT YOU'LL FEEL BETTER”**

Before Stretch could even say a word Blue had taken the cup and was drinking it with shaky hands. Edge took the cup from Blue when he was done and headed back into the kitchen without looking back. Blue mumbled something, but he passed out before he finished what he was saying. 

“Blue? What the hell did he just give my Bro” Stretch snarled at Red, who was looking down at the limp skeleton on his lap. 

**“A sleeping brew, would be my guess. If Blue is anything like me then he won't take medicine, so since Boss couldn't give him pain medication he gave Blue something to help him sleep through it”** Red said quietly. Blue's tremors had slowed down and nearly stopped. Stretch reached over and picked Blue up. He really wanted to yell about it, that Edge should have asked or said something first, but it had gotten Blue out of pain so he couldn't complain. Stretch quickly took Blue up to his bed before heading back down stairs.

“So is there a reason you two won't take medicine?” Stretch asked once he was back in living room. 

**“I CAN GUARANTEE THAT OUR REASON FOR AVOIDING MEDICINE IS DIFFERENT THAN YOUR BROTHER'S”** Edge said walking in with three plates of spaghetti. Stretch glared at the Edge as he put a plate on the coffee table and handed one to Red.  **“IT SEEMS LIKE A FAIRLY SAFE BET THAT IF SOMEONE HERE GIVES YOU MEDICINE THEN IT ACTUALLY IS, BUT IN OUR PLACE IT WAS PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT WOULD KILL YOU FASTER THAN WHATEVER MADE YOU GO LOOKING FOR MEDICINE IN THE FIRST PLACE”**

“I see” Stretch said dropping the subject. He knew Edge was hiding something from him, maybe not completely lying to him, but definitely not telling him the whole truth. He grabbed the plate of spaghetti off the table and dug in. “I'm surprised. You're actually a good cook”

**“I'VE HAD TO LEARN, THIS ONE IS USELESS IN THE KITCHEN”** Edge said pointing at Red, who snapped at his brother's hand before smirking. 

**“I am not completely useless. I can make a sandwich”** Red countered and shoved Edge’s shoulder with his foot.

**“IF YOU CAN I HAVEN'T SEEN IT, YOU JUST RUN OFF WITH ALL THE MEAT”** Edge replied before starting on his own food. 

**“But that's the best part!”** Red said as Edge rolled his eyes. 

**“SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR FOOD, IT'S GETTING COLD”** Edge said as Red started laughing. 

**“Sure thing Boss”** Red said before eating his food. Stretch couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the two brothers. Besides being a little harsher than he and blue were, it was almost identical to their teasing squabbles, except the positions were reversed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week had passed since the fell brothers had escaped from their universe. Stretch was in shower thinking about the recent turn of events and how strange they were. Honestly Stretch was glad to have met Red, the laid back skeleton was a lot of fun to have around, even with the puns. He was lazy, liked to eat at Muffet’s and most importantly he was quiet. The only downside to having Red around, in Stretch’s opinion, was that he and Edge were a packaged deal. 

**“ASH-TRASH YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO HURRY UP! I'M STARTING THE DISHES RATHER YOU'RE STILL IN THERE OR NOT”** The devil called through the bathroom door. Stretch groaned and cursed under his breath. 

“I just hopped in a couple minutes ago! Jeez man, let a skeleton relax for a minute” Stretch called back. He just wanted a few moments to himself. Blue was still sick and he'd spent the last ten hours in Blue's room trying to help. His brother was constantly shifting between hot and cold spells and always hurting. Stretch would have taken him to see Undyne, but Blue had slammed the door shut on that option before Stretch had even finished the suggestion. 

He was really starting to worry about Blue. The last two days Blue had started struggling to breathe and swallow things. His normally bright white bones were starting to dull and shadows were forming under his eye sockets from exhaustion. His mind just kept playing the worse case scenario in his head over and again, making him flinch everytime. 

Stretch sighed and flipped the water off. It wasn't till he picked up his phone and noticed the time that he realized he'd been in twenty minutes and Edge hadn't started the dishes on him. “Wow, he actually let me have some hot water. The world must be ending” Stretch said as he got dressed and headed to Blue's room. He froze when he found it empty. 

“DOWN HERE PAPY” Blue called up in a hoarse voice. Stretch sighed and went downstairs to find his brother sitting on the couch, covered in blankets and a pillow behind his head. 

“Blue, I thought you were sleeping” Stretch said as he leaned down and checked his brother's temperature. “This damn fever just won't go down”

“LANGUAGE” Blue chastised before shifting slightly and wincing. “I WAS FEELING KIND *cough* OF LONELY UP IN MY ROOM, SO I ASKED EDGE TO *cough* TO BRING ME DOWNSTAIRS”

Stretch nodded without saying a word. It broke his soul to know his brother was in so much pain that he couldn't even walk down the stairs. 

**OH, ASH-TRASH I SEE YOU'RE FINALLY OUT OF THE SHOWER”** Edge said as he walked over to the two of them and handed Blue a cup of milk with a straw. Blue thanked him and took a tentative sip from the straw. 

“I'm surprised that you didn't just start the dishes on me. You're getting soft Edge-Lord” Stretch replied. Edge just shrugged and headed back into the kitchen. “Where's Red?” Stretch asked Blue. 

“HE SAID HE WANTED TO GO FOR A *cough* A WALK, SO I THINK HE WENT TO MUFFET’S” Blue answered pulling the blankets tighter around him and coughing into his blanket covered hands. Stretch sighed as he sat down on the floor in front of Blue. The one advantage to having Edge around was that he was always helping to look after Blue. Taking Blue downstairs was just one example, Stretch knew that Edge was mostly doing all the chores so Blue wouldn't try. He didn't know how he'd have made it through the last week without Edge’s help. Though there wasn't chance in hell he'd ever admit that! Edge would never let him hear the end of it. 

“Wonder if he'd bring me back some honey if I asked him to” Stretch wondered out loud. “Did he take a phone with him before he left?”

“YEAH, EDGE GAVE HIM *cough* YOUR PHONE BEFORE HE LEFT” Blue said and Stretch groaned. It's not like minded Red borrowing his phone when he went out; they all knew it made it that much easier on Edge to be able to call and check on Red, but the fact that Edge had been the one to do it bugged him. In Stretch’s head Edge needed to get over that over protectiveness of his brother. They weren't in danger anymore, but Edge was always . . . Well on edge. He would jump at the slightest sound, more than a few times Stretch had seen the ghosts of partially formed attacks when Edge had been startled.

**“ASH-TRASH YOU SHOULD COME HERE FOR A SECOND”** Edge called from the kitchen, breaking Stretch’s train of thought.  

“Alright, I'm coming” Stretch called and looked up at Blue. “Guess I'd better see what the Edge-Lord wants” Blue rolled his eyelights and smacked him lightly on the back of the skull. 

“BE NICE” Blue said, he had grown used to the two’s good natured bickering, even thought it was funny, as long as it stayed teasing. 

“of course I always am” Stretch said with smile, before heading over to the kitchen. Edge was putting up some dishes in a lower cabinet his back to Stretch. 

**“I'M SURPRISED YOU CAME SO QUICKLY”** Edge said without turning around. 

“what did ya want” Stretch said leaning against the wall and couple feet away. 

**“YOU SHOULD GO TO MUFFET’S OR SOMETHING”** Edge said bluntly. Stretch raised his brow bones at that.

“Blue is sick and you expect me to go out and what get drunk? While my brother is suffering here at home” Stretch asked with barely hidden anger. 

**“YES. YOU HAVEN'T LEFT THE HOUSE IN FIVE DAYS. YOU NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THIS FOR A MOMENT BEFORE IT BREAKS YOU”** Edge said standing up and leaning against the counter. **“TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE SCARED FOR YOUR BROTHER, BUT I ALSO KNOW IT'S FAR MORE USEFUL TO STEP BACK AND GET YOUR HEAD BACK TOGETHER INSTEAD OF GOING UNTIL YOU COLLAPSE”** Edge said as Stretch looked away from him. He knew Edge had a point, but he couldn't just leave Blue. **“STRETCH, YOU'VE BEEN TAKING CARE OF BLUE SINCE AT LEAST EIGHT O’CLOCK YESTERDAY MORNING AND I DOUBT YOU GOT ANY SLEEP LAST NIGHT. YOU NEED TO TAKE A BREAK. RED'S AT MUFFET’S RIGHT NOW, WHY DON'T YOU HEAD OVER AND RELAX FOR FEW HOURS I'LL STAY HERE AND WATCH OUT FOR BLUE”**

Stretch pulled on the hem of his hoodie; the very thing that caught Red's attention and earned him the nickname Stretch. He sighed and looked back at Edge. “You're right, but if Blue wants me to stay, then I'm staying here” 

Edge nodded and followed Stretch into the living room. Blue looked up from the TV show he'd been watching as the two taller skeletons entered the room. 

“Hey, Blue do you mind if I head over to Muffet’s for a bit” He asked and was shocked when shook his head and smiled at him. 

“OF COURSE NOT! JUST BECAUSE I'M STUCK INSIDE DOESN'T MEAN *cough* YOU NEED TO BE AS WELL. GO AHEAD, I'LL BE FINE, EDGE WILL BE *cough* BE HERE SO DON'T WORRY” Blue said having to cough to clear his voice. Stretch nodded and slowly headed for the door. He pause with his hand on the doorknob, it felt wrong to leave. 

**“JUST GO, WE'VE GOT BLUE'S PHONE. I'LL CALL YOU IF ANYTHING HAPPENS. NOW GO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF”** Edge said putting a hand on his shoulder. Stretch nodded and opened the door. 

“Okay I'll be back before six, so can do whatever it is you do when disappear into the woods” Stretch said as he walked out. Edge nodded surprised Stretch had even thought about that. It had become almost a clockwork routine that Edge left at six o’clock and came back at eight both morning and night. 

As Stretch made his way to Muffet’s, Edge and Blue settled down to watch TV. Edge sat on the ground in front of Blue as the smaller skeleton buried himself in the blankets. Edge sent Red a text telling Stretch was on his way, and tilted his head back and looked at up at Blue.  **“SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO BLUEBERRY”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you can think of a better coughing sound effect than *cough* please let me know!


	13. Where's the line between good and evil?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More background on the skelebros past and Edge and Stretch find one thing they can agree on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so updates might slow down a little, I don't have this part as planned out as the others, still every Friday for sure and more if I can.

Blue hid deeper in his blankets, blushing at the longer version of his nickname. It seemed like Edge only used it when it was the two of them, and it always made him blush. “J-JUST WATCHING TV IS FINE”  He stammered a little flustered.

**“ARE YOU COLD?”** Edge asked noticing the little stammer and mistaking it for cold tremor. Before Blue could deny needing another blanket Edge was already darting up the stairs. When he returned he had a large patchwork quilt and threw it over Blue. Who honestly did appreciate the added blanket.

“I WAS FINE YOU *cough* DIDN'T HAVE TO GRAB ME ANOTHER ONE” Blue said as Edge sat on ground again. Blue looked down at him and sighed. “YOU CAN SIT *cough* ON THE COUCH YOU KNOW”

**“I'M FINE ON THE FLOOR”** Edge said stretching his legs out in front of him. Blue huffed gave Edge a pouty look, till Edge sighed and joined him on the couch.  **“OKAY, I'M ON THE COUCH HAPPY?”**

“YES” Blue answered before flipping the TV over to a Napstaton movie and settling down to watch. Edge stretched out again crossing one leg over the other and was draped over the couch arm the other laid along back of the couch. Blue shifted hyper-aware of the fact Edge’s arm was right behind him. He sighed as all his attempt to get comfortable were met with failure.

**“ARE YOU OKAY?”** Edge asked looking over at Blue who nodded quickly.

“YEAH, JUST TRYING *cough* TRYING TO GET COMFORTABLE” Blue answered. Edge looked at Blue for a minute before getting up from the couch. 

**“HERE, LET ME HELP”** Edge said reaching for the blankets. Blue sighed but went along with it. Edge picked Blue up as carefully as he could, which Blue was grateful for. Edge never caused Blue any pain when he picked him up, or moved him. Edge just seemed to have a perfect control over his own body. Blue had seen him and Stretch sparring a few times, and while Stretch clearly had better control over his magic, if it came to close combat fighting the battle was Edge’s. 

Edge cradled Blue against his chest with one arm, using the other to tuck one end of the blankets between the cushions and the back of the couch. Edge got them both situated on couch so Blue's head was laying on a pillow next where Edge was sitting. 

**“BETTER?”** He asked as Blue snuggled down. Blue nodded closing his eyes. Edge had somehow laid him down exactly right. There was almost no pressure on the worst of his sore spots. Now that he could relax Blue could feel the exhaustion start to pull him under.  **“GO AHEAD AND SLEEP, BLUE. YOU'LL NEED ALL THE REST YOU CAN TO GET BETTER”**

Blue made a vague sound of agreement before going sleep. Edge absentmindedly started stroking Blue's skull as he watched Napstaton on TV.after about an hour Blue started to stir a small wordless whine escaping his mouth. Edge looked down as Blue opened his eyes.

**“DO YOU WANT ME TO GET YOU ANYTHING?”** Edge asked still petting Blue's skull. 

“I'M HUNGRY” Blue said awkwardly. He was feeling more and more like a bother every day. He hated not being able to do things by himself. 

**“CAN YOU WAIT A FEW MINUTES, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO COOK SOMETHING UP”** Edge said as he got to his feet. Blue grabbed the bottom of the black leather jacket Edge had started wearing instead of his armor. 

“MIND IF I COME AND WATCH?” Blue asked. He really missed cooking, it had always been one of his favorite things to do.

**“I DON'T MIND AT ALL”** Edge said reaching down to pick Blue up. Blue shook his head and carefully slid out from under the blankets.

“I'M GOING TO WALK, BUT THANKS EDGE” Blue said as he stood on shaky legs. Edge’s mouth turned down a fraction of an inch, but he grabbed the pillow and a blanket before heading to the kitchen. He quickly set up a chair for Blue, before going back to Blue and walking with him to the kitchen.

**“ANYTHING SPECIFIC YOU WANT FOR LUNCH”** Edge asked as he helped Blue into the chair and draped a blanket over him. Blue shook his head and Edge turned around to gather the ingredients to make chicken noodle soup. Edge cut everything a lot finer than he normally would, hoping to make it easier for Blue to eat. 

“YOU REALLY ARE A GOOD GUY” Blue said suddenly. Edge turned around to see Blue smiling up at him. 

**“WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?”** Edge said turning back to his work.

“WELL FOR STARTERS THE WAY *cough* YOU'VE HELPED OUT ME AND PAPY, AND *cough* AND THE WAY YOU LOOKED AFTER DEFENDED RED WHEN YOU *cough* YOU WERE IN THAT OTHER TIMELINE” Blue said. Edge sighed and stared at the pot he had just placed on the stove.

**“REPAYING OWED DEBTS DOESN'T MAKE ME A GOOD PERSON. IF I WAS A GOOD PERSON I NEVER WOULD HAVE  RACKED THEM UP IN THE FIRST PLACE”** Edge said as stirred the soup. Blue frowned slightly confused.

“DEBTS? WHAT *cough* WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?” Blue asked and Edge shifted uncomfortably his free hand messing with the tattered end of his scarf.

**“YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT I MEAN”** Edge said turning and grabbing some salt out of cabinet.  **“IT WOULD UPSET YOU”**

“I'D STILL LIKE TO KNOW” Blue said trying to catch Edge’s eyelights. “PLEASE, EDGE”

**“I MEAN OF COURSE I'M GOING TO HELP YOU OUT. YOU SAVED RED'S LIFE, WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. I'M IN YOUR DEBT FOR THAT”** Edge said his shoulders falling slightly and he closed his eyes.  **“AND AS FOR PROTECTING RED, I'D HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY HEARTLESS TO HAVE DONE ANYTHING LESS, SINCE IT WAS MY SHORTCOMINGS THAT LEFT HIM WITH ONE HP”**

“EDGE DON'T SAY THAT!” Blue nearly yelled both shocked and mad. The loudness of his outburst left him in a coughing fit as his throat protested the abuse.

**“WHAT IT'S TRUE. I NEVER PUSHED MYSELF HARD ENOUGH UNTIL** ** _HE_** **ALMOST KILLED RED. MY BROTHER WAS THE INTERESTING ONE. I WAS ONLY KEPT AROUND BECAUSE RED CONVINCED** ** _HIM_** **THAT I WAS KEY TO HIS EMOTIONAL STABILITY. RED WAS THE ONE PUT THROUGH ALL THOSE FUCKED UP TESTS, WHILE I SAT AROUND IN THAT GODDAMN CELL, PERFECTLY SAFE AND FINE! HE WENT THROUGH HELL TO KEEP ME ALIVE”** Edge realized he was yelling and sucked in a breath trying to calm down. When he spoke again it was a lot calmer. **“AND IT TURNED OUT I WAS SUITABLE FOR** ** _HIS_** **TESTS.** **I JUST HADN'T BEEN PUSHED FAR ENOUGH. MY WEAKNESS CAUSED MY BROTHER TO BREAK BEYOND REPAIR. DEFENDING HIM AND KEEPING HIM SAFE, ONCE WE WERE FREE WAS THE LEAST I OWED HIM, AND I COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT! HE LOST FAITH IN ME. . .”**

“HE NEVER LOST FAITH IN YOU *cough* HE WAS TIRED OF LIVING IN FEAR, THAT'S ALL” Blue said quietly.

**“THEN I STILL FAILED HIM. I STILL COULDN'T GIVE HIM COMPLETE SAFETY, IF HE WAS STILL SCARED”** Edge answered eyelights focused on the now boiling soup. A few moments of silence hung over them until Edge grabbed a couple of bowls and dished out the soup. 

**“CAREFUL IT'S HOT”** Edge warned as he placed a bowl in front of Blue. He sat down on the opposite side of the table from the shorter skeleton and dipped his spoon into his bowl. Blue just stared at food but made no move to eat his food. Edge sighed and moved the spoon around the edge of his bowl.  **“I TOLD YOU THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW”**

“HOW DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER ALL THAT? PAPY *cough* WAS BARELY THREE WHEN WE ESCAPED” Blue muttered not sure he wanted to continue this conversation.

**“ANOTHER DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUR TIMELINES. I WAS SEVEN WHEN RED FINALLY HAD ENOUGH AND . . . PUT AN END TO THINGS”** Edge said looking up at Blue, who looked mortified one hand grasping his blue bandana.

“YOU GUY WERE STUCK WITH  _ HIM _ FOR SO LONG” Blue would've have said the thought of being stuck  _ there  _ for that long made him sick, but he already was sick. Edge just laughed softly. 

**“LUCK HAS NEVER BEEN KIND TO US”**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blue and Edge had eaten in an awkward silence and then moved to living room. Edge had carried Blue to the couch. The smaller skeleton was starting to tremble and a small whimper sounding as curled in on himself. His hands curled up against Edge’s shirt. Another one of those painful attacks was coming on. 

“E-EDGE” Blue gasped eyes  closed tightly. His already strained breathing became even shallower, the burning pain increased when his ribs expanded. He wanted to cry, but bit back on the sobs trying to escape him. 

**“LET ME GO, AND I'LL GO MAKE YOU SOMETHING TO HELP OKAY?”** Edge asked trying to put Blue on the couch, but Blue's hands stayed attached to his shirt. He knew the start of one of Blue's attacks even without Blue telling him. The tension in the little one's body was an obvious sigh. Edge moved one of his own hands to try and ply Blue from him, but stopped when Blue yelped.  **“BLUE, LET GO”**

“D-DON’T L-LEAVE *gasp* M-ME! I D-DON’T WA- *gasp* WANT T-TO B-BE A-ALONE” Blue begged in an absolute panic. He buried his head against Edge’s chest a soft sob escaping his control. Edge stiffened when he heard the cry, Blue usually managed to suffer these attacks in silence. 

**“ALRIGHT, JUST CALM DOWN AND TRY TO BREATHE”** Edge said heading back into the kitchen. He hurried trying to gather all the things he needed to make another sleeping brew. He held Blue with both arms, except when he needed to grab something.

“I-IT H-HURTS T-TO B-BREATHE *gasp* E-EDGE! I C-CAN’T *gasp* C-CAN’T *gasp* B-BREATHE!” Blue looked up at Edge, but everything was blurry and out of focus. He clung tighter to Edge his hands gripping the other's ribs. “E-EDGE” 

It took every bit of Edge’s concentration to keep himself in motion when Blue looked up at him. The large blue eyelights were foggy and undefined. Edge started mixing herbs and other ingredients into a dry pile. Blue didn't have time for him to make it into a brew, as if to prove his fears correct Blue's eyelights went out and his tiny body went limp. He cursed as he laid Blue on the floor.  **“DAMMIT, HOLD ON BLUE”**

Edge’s red magic lit up the room as it quickly turned metallic gold. He grabbed the mixture off the counter and dissolved it in the unusual magic. Blue's breathing almost immediately evened out as Edge poured the magic into his bones. Once that was done, Edge picked up Blue and carried him to his room; The blankets and pillow floating after them in Edge’s red magic. He tucked Blue in and sat down in the chair Stretch had pulled over to the bed. With a sigh he retrieved the cell phone and dialed Stretch’s number. 

“Blue! What is it?” Stretch’s panicked voice sounded before the first ring had finished. 

**“IT'S EDGE”**

“What happened? What's wrong?” Stretch said in accompany with a squealing bar stool. 

**“CALM DOWN. BLUE HAD ANOTHER ATTACK AND . . .”** Edge trailed off. His eyelights looking over Blue. The shadows and dullness on his face had been bad enough, but the completely empty expression that he wore in his sleep, sent sent chills straight through Edge.

“and what?! Edge! What happened” Stretch demanded snapping Edge of his daze. 

**“HE STOPPED BREATHING FOR A MOMENT THERE, BUT I GOT HIM BREATHING AGAIN AND HE'S ASLEEP NOW. I'M SITTING WITH HIM TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN”** Edge said putting his arms on his knees and resting his head in one of his hands.  **“YOU SHOULD PROBABLY BE HERE WHEN HE WAKES UP”**

“I heading back right now” Stretch said just before hanging up. Edge frowned and looked up at the ceiling. 

**“BLUE, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH YOU? THIS ISN'T GETTING BETTER ON ITS OWN”** Edge some to the empty room, waiting till he heard the front door open and footsteps flying up the stairs.

“Is he okay” Stretch asked as soon Blue's door opens. 

**“HE'S STILL OUT LIKE A LIGHT, BUT HE SEEMS FINE FOR NOW”** Edge replied getting up so Stretch could sit with Blue. Stretch frowned and put a hand on Blue’s forehead.

“How is his fever getting higher?” Stretch said in horror. “It's gotta cap off at some point right?”

**“MAYBE WE'RE IN OVER OUR HEADS WITH THIS. IT MIGHT BE TIME TO SEE IF UNDYNE WILL COME HERE TO CHECK ON BLUE”** Edge suggested as he leaned against the wall.

“Blue already said no, and we can't force him or he'll just teleport away” Stretch said sitting down in defeat.

**“ACTUALLY THERE'S A WAY FOR ME TO NEUTRALIZE HIS TELEPORTING ABILITIES”** Edge said pulling a string off his scarf. 

“And how would you do that?” Stretch asked looking at Edge. 

**“MY RED MAGIC COMPLETELY BINDS WHOEVER IT ENSNARES”** Edge said with a shrug.  **“I'VE HAD TO USE IT ON RED A COUPLE TIMES, SO I KNOW IT CAN CANCEL OUT THE TELEPORTING”**

“Okay, can you stay here, I'm going to make a phone call”


	14. If the only way to save him is to be the bad guy then cast me the villain. I'll play my part.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue's in for a bad time when all three of the other skeletons side against him.

Edge was sitting on the windowsill in Blue's room, watching the snowflakes flutter down to the ground when Blue woke up. “WH-WHERE I-IS P-PAPY?”

Edge sighed and walked over to Blue. The smaller skeleton looked up at him with wide eyes as the darker skeleton sat down next to him. **“BLUE I WANT YOU TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND”**

“WHAT'S GOING ON?” Blue asked shifting away from the taller skeleton.

 **“UNDYNE WANTS TO TAKE A LOOK AT YOU AND SEE IF SHE CAN'T HELP”** Edge said putting a hand on Blue's knee, trying to calm him a little. **“SHE'S AGREED TO COME HERE AND SHE WON'T DO ANYTHING YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH”**

 **“** TELL HER I'M FINE!” Blue growled sitting up and pushing the blanket away from himself “I ALREADY SAID THAT I DIDN'T WA-”

_Ping!_

**“YOU ARE NOT FINE! YOU STOPPED BREATHING!”** Edge growled pinning Blue down with red magic magic. **“YOUR FEVER HAS GONE NOWHERE BUT UP, AND YOUR BONES ARE STARTING TO WEAKEN BECAUSE OF IT! SO PLEASE, JUST LET HER HELP YOU. SHE'S NOT GOING TO HURT YOU.”**

“EDGE LET ME GO!” Blue said scowling at Edge. The darker skeleton sighed and shook his head. “EDGE LET ME GO! NOW! I'M FINE! AND I DON'T NEED HER HELP! AND I DON'T NEED YOUR'S!”

 **“I DIDN'T ASK IF YOU DID. AND YOU ARE GOING TO LET HER HELP, BECAUSE I'M NOT HAVING A REPEAT OF THIS AFTERNOON! SO YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SUCK IT UP AND DEAL WITH IT”** Edge snarled towering over Blue and glaring at him.

“EDGE NO! STOP IT! I DON'T WANT THIS!” Blue cried his anger quickly turning to panic. He desperately tried to struggle against the red magic. He could barely move an inch and tears started to form in his eye sockets. Frantically be reached for his teleporting ability but couldn't find it. Edge’s magic was blocking Blue from accessing his own magic. “EDGE! NO! I DON'T WANT IT! STOP! PLEASE!”

 **“SORRY BLUE, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO LET UP ON THIS. WE HAVE GIVEN THIS A WEEK AND THINGS DIDN'T GET BETTER”** Edge said softly to sobbing skeleton. He could feel his guilt and regret running down his spine, almost tangibly; every sob from Blue's mouth was another wave cold guilt and seemed to leave a slimy coat of regret on every bone.

“NO! NO! IF YOU WERE YOU'D LET ME GO! YOU'D LET ME MAKE MY OWN CHOICES!” Blue screamed making his throat hurt. The tears started streaking down his cheek bones. “YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN _HIM_ ! YOU WON'T GIVE ME A CHOICE! YOU'RE THE SAME MONSTER AS _HIM_ AS _DOCTOR GA-”_

Blue’s jaw was slammed shut by red magic. Edge’s eyelights were shining brightly right on the cusp of breaking to the flame like magic. **“I THINK I'VE HEARD ENOUGH FROM  YOUR WORTHLESS MOUTH”** Edge said in that dead flat voice he used to keep himself from yelling. **“I TRIED TO WARN YOU. I'M NOT A GOOD PERSON. I'M CRUEL AND SELFISH. I CAN'T COUNT THE NUMBER OF MONSTERS I'VE CUT DOWN SO I COULD KEEP THE THINGS I WANTED. I DISREGARDED THEIR WILLS WHAT THEIR FAMILIES WOULD GO THROUGH; ALL FOR MY OWN REASONS AND DIDN'T GIVE DAMN FOR THEIR PLEAS SO I SUPPOSE YOU'RE RIGHT. I'M EXACTLY LIKE** **_HIM._ ** **WHICH MEANS YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW THIS GOING TO END”**

Blue gave up struggling and sobbed wordlessly, since Edge still had his mouth binded shut. Edge said nothing either, he just waited till Blue's crying had quieted for the most part. Once Blue was lying silently on the bed, Edge got up and went to the bedroom door.

 **“OKAY, UNDYNE HE'S READY FOR YOU”** Edge called in that still deadpan voice. Blue could hear the timid footsteps as someone approached the door.

“S-sorry B-blue, I w-will b-be as qu-quick as p-possible” Undyne said as she walked into the room. Blue whimpered and would have curled in a ball if Edge would have let him. “l-let st-start w-with th-the b-basic st-stuff”

Blue just closed his eyes and tried to pretend that this wasn't happening. Undyne sighed and started a physical examination. She frowned when noticed how frail the fever was making Blue's bones. “I’m g-going t-to ch-check y-you H-HP n-now oka- . . . OH MY GOD”

 **“WHAT WRONG?”** Edge asked in a still flat voice, in fact it sounded more like he was asking because it was expected of him than because he actually cared for the answer.

“S-sixteen out of t-twenty-th-three” Undyne stammered in horror. Edge’s expression went hard as he looked at Blue. The shorter skeleton didn't even look shocked to hear the news.

 **“YOU ALREADY KNEW! DAMMIT BLUE! YOU KNEW THIS WASN'T JUST SOME BUG AND YOU WERE GOING TO STAY QUIET? MAKE YOUR BROTHER WATCH AS THIS SLOWLY KILLED YOU?”** Edge snarled but stayed leaning against the back wall. His left eye now had starting wisps of red fire coming off it. Blue didn't even try to move or speak he just laid there silently even though Edge had let up enough to speak. **“WELL THEN MAYBE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO TAKES AFTER** **_HIM_ ** **”**

Blue flinched and his eyes snapped open to glared at Edge. “I'M NOTHING LIKE _HIM_ ! I WOULD NEVER EVER DO ANYTHING LIKE _HIM_! AND I'D NEVER TAKE AWAY SOMEONE'S FREE WILL LIKE THIS! IT WAS MY CHOICE TO GET HELP OR NOT! I'M NOT HURTING ANYONE BUT MYSELF”

 **“YOU REALLY ARE AN IDIOT. BLUE LET ME ASK YOU THIS. DO YOU THINK I ONLY HURT THE PEOPLE I KILLED?”** Edge asked titling his head slightly, before continuing. **“JUST ENDING SOMEONE'S LIFE ISN'T THAT BAD. IT'S JUST ONE LESS MOUTH TO FEED, ONE LESS ATTACK TO DEAL WITH. THE ACT OF KILLING, AT FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, WAS AN ACT OF MERCY. THEY NO LONGER HAD TO SUFFER, BUT THAT WASN'T THE CASE FOR THOSE WHO LOVED THAT VICTIM. THE POOR SOULS WHO CARED FOR THE LOST ONES WERE HURT SO MUCH WORSE THAN ANYTHING I COULD DO TO THEM PHYSICALLY. KILLING IS ONLY CRUEL TO THOSE LEFT BEHIND”**

Blue opened his mouth to argue, but words couldn't come. Edge had spoken from personal experience and had sounded so bored, almost like he was telling someone the time of day. He wince when he felt something prick at his soul. Undyne pulled back with a syringe filled with a dull blue magic substance.

“n-not g-good. S-something h-has th-thinned y-you m-magic” Undyne said as she held the syringe up to the light. “I-it ex-explains a f-few th-things b-but wh-what’s c-causing th-the th-thinning”

Still flat and emotionless. **“IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO?”**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stretch was staring at the floor in disbelief and shock. Undyne had just told him that his brother was dying, and she wasn't sure what she could do to stop it. He was vaguely aware Red's voice asking questions but he couldn't pick out the individual words. It was like his brain had shut down, like everything could just go back to normal if he just stopped hearing about how wrong everything had gone.

 **“Stretch, hey Stretch! You with us?”** Red asked shaking his shoulder till he Stretch looked at him. **“did you just hear what Undyne said”** Red said and Stretch shook his head. **“she said that she thinks she can stop this, as soon as she figures out what is causing all this shit in the first place”**

Stretch looked over to Undyne like she was holding the last bit of hope in the world, and in his world she was. “You can save him?”

“I th-think s-so, b-but I'm g-going t-to n-need s-some t-time. Y-you n-need t-to g-get h-him t-to t-take th-the m-medicine I am g-going t-to l-leave f-for h-him” Undyne said handing a bottle of pills to Red and then headed for the door. “I w-will c-call as s-soon I f-figure th-this out”

Red pulled Stretch over to the couch and made him sit down. **“How about I sit with Blue for now, so that way you can get yourself back together”** Red asked. Stretch nodded in a way that had Red wondering if he'd actually heard what Red had said. **“there's leftovers in the fridge get yourself some food”** Red ordered before heading up the stairs to Blue's room.

 **“How ya feelin Blue?”** Red asked as he came in. The smallest skeleton was curled in a ball with his back to the door. Red might have thought the other was asleep if it weren't for the shaking.

“L-LEAVE ME ALONE” Blue grumbled keeping his back towards Red. Red sighed, Edge had made Stretch and Red leave while Undyne had checked on Blue so that way Blue couldn't blame them for being a part of it, and because he doubted Stretch could stand by and listen to Blue cry and beg like he was sure Blue would.

 **“kid we were worried about ya, and rightly so”** Red said sitting next to him on the bed. Blue flinched. It reminded of how Edge had done the same before trapping him in place.

“RIGHTLY SO?! YOU GUYS FORCED ME!” Blue hissed at Red and shuffled farther from him. “YOU TOOK MY CHOICE IN THE MATTER AWAY!”

 **“Would you rather we had done nothing and let you die? Because if so go down and say that to your** **_little brother_ ** **! Who by the way looks one step away from losing his fucking mind. This news has him absolutely rattled and I can't even imagine how he'd of handled it if he just woke up one morning to find your dust”** Red said giving Blue a hard glare. He sighed and stood from the bed. **“Blue, I know you've been through hell, but I'm really surprised that you can't tell the difference between when someone is trying to help you versus hurt you. I thought you were a lot brighter than that”**

Blue glared at Red as he sat down on the chair by his bed. “IF YOU AND EDGE THINK I'M SO DUMB WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE” Blue growled at him.

 **“Blue I don't think you're dumb. I think ya making some stupid choices. There's a difference”** Red said with a raised brow bone. **“look me in the face and tell me it wasn't stupid to hide the fact your total HP was dropping from us? Or the fit you've thrown over my Bro trying to help you get better”**

“HE FORCED ME!” Blue growled starting to feel a little childish, but being too stubborn to back down.

 **“Blue I'll tell ya right now, if he didn't care about ya, he wouldn't have put the effort in. I've seen him train a bunch of snot nosed runts into full fledged warriors, and dust them without hesitation with a single order from our king, or cut his teacher's eye out so he could become captain of the royal guard”** Red said a bit of anger seeping into his voice.

That had really messed Edge up. Undyne had been the closest thing Edge had ever had to a friend. She taught him almost everything he knew about fighting and Asgore had forced the two to fight for the captain position. Undyne had thought Edge would never turn on her, but all it had taken was one half veiled threat to Red's life and Edge took everything that Undyne had ever held any pride in, plus her eye.   **“my Papyrus doesn't get invested in others very often. It's only ever gotten him hurt, in more ways than one, but I don't doubt that he cares about you. If you weren't something to him, he would have stayed quiet, even if he knew about your HP”**

“THEN WHY DID HE TAKE MY WILL AWAY! HOW COULD HE DO THAT TO SOMEONE HE CARED ABOUT” Blue asked still keeping the anger in his voice.

 **“That's a pretty easy question to answer if you think about it”** Red said leaning back in the chair. **“He's sick of watching helplessly as he loses everyone he cares about. He'd rather have you alive and hate him, than have you dust. He made the same choice with the Undyne in our timeline”**

“UNDYNE WAS HIS TEACHER?” Blue asked shocked. Edge had mentioned her once before, so he knew she had been the captain before Edge. But when Edge had spoken of her it had been with murder in his voice. “I THOUGHT HE HATED HER”

 **“He does now, she tried to get me killed just before we came here. That's why I was in such bad shape. He had looked the other way on a lot things that she'd done to him personally,** **but the second she went after me; she became his number one enemy”** Red explained looking at the floor. **“I honestly think he would've sent me here on my own if I had been in any better condition; just so he could have his revenge on her”**

“YOU'RE BROTHERS HOW COULD HE DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?” Blue asked shocked. The idea of just abandoning his brother seemed completely wrong and impossible.

 **“he does a good job of hiding it, but the high LV can skew his priorities, especially if he loses his temper”** Red answered with a frown. **“no more talking you need to get some rest”**

“FINE . . . I STILL DON'T THINK YOU GUYS SHOULD HAVE FORCED ME. IT WASN'T RIGHT” Blue said before closing his eyes.

**“sometimes the only way to help is to play the bad guy, and if means keeping you around then cast us the villains. We will gladly play our parts”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who feel that last sentence is out of character for Red, he's quoting what Edge said. I didn't write it, but there's a scene where Stretch warns Edge that Blue will hate him, if he forces him to get help. And Edge says what I named the chapter.


	15. Out of sight is not out of mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge disappears leaving the rest of the skeletons to fend for themelves . . .or did he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character stats  
> Blue (swap sans)  
> Hp 23  
> LV 0  
> Abilities- Is skillful at healing, teleports, blasters, blue magic, and cooking.
> 
> Stretch (swap papyrus)  
> HP 120  
> LV 0  
> Abilities- moderate healing magic, blasters, blue magic, near perfect control of his magic science.
> 
> Red (Underfell sans)  
> HP 1  
> LV 5  
> Abilities- red magic (same as blue, almost) blasters, teleports, science
> 
> Edge (Underfell papyrus)  
> HP 1285  
> LV 16  
> Abilities- red magic, blasters, special bone attacks and camouflage (uses magic to hide himself) 
> 
> I feel like I should be posting the stats more often.

“Hey, Red, why don't you head downstairs? I'll sit with Blue now” Stretch said as he entered the room. Red's head snapped over to Stretch. The taller skeleton still looked like hell, but at least that clocked out expression was gone.

 **“Sure, but I'll warn ya was still mad when he went to sleep”** Red whispered as hopped down from the chair. To his surprise Stretch looked unamused.

“Good then I'm not the only one pissed the hell off” Stretch growled. Red grabbed one of Stretch’s hands and made the taller skeleton look at him.

 **“Stretch, I'm gonna tell ya right now, that Blue has some damn good reasons to have done the things he has”** Red said quietly not looking at Stretch. **“I don't think he made the right choice, but try not to get to mad at him, okay?”**

“And what do you think happened to him that justifies all this!” Stretch hissed at him.

 **“Sorry Stretch, can't tell ya for a lot of reasons. The first being that I promised Blue I wouldn’t; the second being that** **_I_ ** **don't want to think about it, let alone talk about it”** Red said heading for the door. **“What's Boss doing?”**

“I don't know, he's not back yet” Stretch said as he sat down. He was furious to know that everyone in this house was in on some secret and they all were keeping it from him.

 **“It's after nine, he should be back by now!”** Red said a slight panic building in his soul. Stretch bit his boney lip.

“He did leave later than normal, maybe he's making up for lost time” Stretch offered, trying unsuccessfully to calm Red.

 **“Yeah, you're probably right”** Red agreed, but only because he didn't want Stretch worrying about his idiot brother when he had Blue to worry about. Red hurried out of the bedroom and downstairs. **_Boss may have left a little later tonight, but not an hour late!_ ** Red thought to himself. Red sat on the couch and turned the TV on, planning to sit there until his brother came home.

Meanwhile Stretch sat watching the ceiling in his brother's room. He sighed and closed his eyes.

“MMHMM? PAPY?” Blue asked in sleepy voice. Stretch didn't say anything, didn't open his eyes. “PAPY?” Blue said more awake this time. He reached out for Stretch’s hand but stopped when it pulled away from him. It had only been a fraction of an inch but it was enough for Blue to notice.

“Sans, how could you do that? How could hide something like that from me?” Stretch asked without looking at his brother. His eyes stayed closed and his voice was a whisper; he was afraid to put anymore volume into it or it might turn into yelling. Blue whimpered quietly. He'd never seen his brother like this before, Stretch looked so . . . Defeated.

“I'M SORRY BROTHER” Blue whispered pulling his hand back curling into a ball around it.

“Really because I think if Edge hadn't forced you, you would've kept pretending that everything was fine until it killed you” Stretch said flatly, one hand tugging on the end of his sleeve. Blue opened his mouth but closed it without saying anything. “Heh, yeah I thought as much. You knew it was killing you and you decided you'd rather die than get the help that could save you”

“I'M SORRY PAPY” Blue muttered again, but Stretch pretended that he didn't hear him.

“but do you know what the real kicker is? It's not the fact that you seem more open with Edge and Red than with me. It’s the fact that you were planning to just let yourself die and you either didn't think of our care what that would do to me. Do you really think that little of me?” Stretch said finally looking down at his brother when two small hands latched onto the arm closest to Blue.

“I'M SORRY PAPY! I'M SO SORRY! I WAS SCARED! I DIDN'T MEAN *cough* TO HURT YOU! I'M *cough* SORRY” Blue's sobs quickly dissolved into another coughing fit, but clung to the arm of his brother hoodie. “I'M *cough* SORRY! *cough* PAPY, I'M *cough* SO SORRY! *cough* SORRY! I *cough* *gasp* SWEAR PAPY, *cough* YOU MEAN *cough* EVERYTHING *cough* TO ME! *cough* *gasp* YOU'RE MY *cough* BABY BROTHER! *cough* *gasp* I JUST *cough* DON'T WANT *cough* TO BE *cough* A BOTHER! *cough* *cough* *gasp* PLEASE DON'T *cough* HATE *cough* *cough* ME!*gasp*”

“Whoa, Bro calm down and breathe” Stretch said pulling Blue on his lap and rubbing his back. Blue was gasping and coughing to hard to talk, hell Stretch was sure if this was even considered breathing. “Shush Sans, I'm not that mad at you, and I don't hate you. Please Bro calm down”

Blue closed his eyes and tried to do as his brother was asking. It took him a long time and he was really lightheaded by the time he was breathing with some semblance of normalcy. “SORRY, BROTHER” he mumbled weakly clinging to Stretch’s hoodie.

“Damn, Bro. If that's anything like what happened when stopped breathing with Edge, you definitely would have scared the hell out of him” Stretch said still rubbing Blue's back.

“LANGUAGE” Blue growled softly. He couldn't stop from frowning at the mention of the dark skeleton. Edge had left as soon as Stretch and Red had returned. Even as mad as Blue had been, the flat expressionless way Edge was acting had been worrying. He'd left without a word or even acknowledging his own brother. “HE HATES NOW, DOESN'T HE”

“Who? Edge? No I don't think so. Why would you think that?” Stretch asked looking down at his brother, who currently had his face hidden in the orange fabric of his hoodie.

“I SAID SOME REALLY AWFUL THINGS TO HIM” Blue whimpered his breath hitching just a little.

“Oh, Um I don't think he'd hold it against you. I mean you'll have to ask him when he comes home, but I'm sure he wouldn't hate you over some words” Stretch said trying to comfort Blue.

“HE'S NOT BACK YET?” Blue asked looking at his alarm clock. 11:36 P.M. He gasped bringing one hand to his mouth. “HE LEFT OVER FIVE HOURS AGO! HE SHOULD'VE COME BACK BY NOW!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When morning reached the skeleton household, Stretch found Red passed out on the couch. “hey buddy, what are you sleeping on the couch for” Stretch said carefully shaking Red awake. The two fell brothers had a shared bedroom in the basement, so there was no good reason that Red would be sleeping on the couch.

 **“hmm, boss?”** Red said opening his eyes and startling a little. **“oh, mornin Stretch”**

“Heh, yeah mornin. Why are you sleeping on the couch?” Stretch asked. Red looked down and sucked in a deep breath.

 **“I was waiting for my Bro to come home, but I guess I passed out some time after four”** Red admitted climbing off the couch and popping his back.

“You mean he still hasn't come home yet?” Stretch asked in shock. Red nodded burying himself in the neck of his sweater. “Should we go looking for him?” Stretch asked pulling Red into the kitchen. Red shook his head.

 **“If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be”** Red said quietly sitting on the chair and dropping his head against the table with a low thud.

“. . . Um, Well he's been here at some point” Stretch said looking in the fridge. Three plastic containers were now sitting on the top shelf one labeled breakfast, another labeled lunch and the last labeled dinner.

 **“he must really be mad. He hasn't done this since he became the captain of the royal guard”** Red said pulling out a note that specified that everything was microwaveable.

“Done what? Disappeared?” Stretch said looking down at Red.

 **“Yeah, it used to be that if we got into a real fight he'd just disappear for a day or two, until he calmed down. After he became captain he couldn't afford to do that anymore because everyone was waiting for a chance to get at him, and that put a target on me, so . . .”** Red let the sentence just hang open ended. Stretch nodded then noticed the note in Red's hands.

“Did he really need to leave us instructions on how to microwave it?” Stretch asked shaking his head. Red on the other hand blushed bright red. Stretch smirked and chuckled “Is there a reason he left instructions?”

“Sh-Shuddup” Red growled throwing the note in the trash. “It was one time!”

“Oh, and what happened?” Stretch asked as Red glared at him and shook his head. “Come you can't have done worse than me. I actually managed to catch water on fire”

Red's eyes widen at that **“How . . . How do you even do that?”** Red asked completely dumbfounded. Stretch shrugged his making the ‘I don't know’ sound. **“okay, yeah mine is not that bad. . . I may have found out the hard way not to put metal in the microwave”**

Stretch died laughing and Red growled at him telling to stop being an ass. Stretch just shook his head before finally talking. “I'm sorry, but you are smart enough to figure out how to make a machine that can travel across dimensions, but you couldn't figure out that metal in a microwave was a bad idea”

 **“I'll take shit from you about my kitchen smarts when you figure out how you caught water on fire”** Red said fighting off a smirk of his own.

The two set up the food and ate in companionable silence. After he was done Stretch tossed his plate in the sink and prepared one for Blue. Red got up and started the dishes, while Stretch went up stairs.

“Blue, you awake yet?” he asked quietly hoping not wake his brother up if he was still asleep.

“YEAH, I'M AWAKE” Blue answered slowly sitting up. He winced but tried to keep up a strong front. Stretch pulled out the bottle of medicine that Undyne had left for Blue.

“Your medicine says to take it with food” Stretch said, wondering if he should have brought Red up with him, in case Blue decided to be difficult.

“OH . . . OKAY. . . I GUESS” Blue said shifting uncomfortably but holding his hand out. Stretch was honestly surprised by the display. He had expected his brother to put up much more of a fight.

“Thank you, Sans” Stretch said handing the pill to Blue. Before he had time to freak himself out, Blue popped the tiny capsule in his mouth and swallowed. Wordlessly he reached for the food that Stretch had brought in. “How are you feeling Bro?”

Blue paused looking down at his plate of food and sighed. “GUILTY” Blue answered looking up at his brother. “DO YOU THINK EDGE WILL LET ME APOLOGIZE TO HIM THIS MORNING?”

“Probably not Bro, we haven't seen since yesterday” Stretch answered looking away from his brother. “He snuck back sometime in the early morning and left us some food, but left before we even knew he had come back”

Blue bit back a sob. Even if he was still mad at Edge, he hadn't meant to run Edge off like this. Stretch gently patted Blue's shoulder. “Don't feel too bad, Sans. Red says he used to do this back in their timeline. It's just how he cools off. He will be back in a day or two”

“I HOPE SO” Blue muttered pushing his food around on his plate for a minute before he remembered he was supposed to eat it. He popped a bite in his mouth and swallowed without tasting. Stretch took the plate from Blue when he was done and headed downstairs.

“Edge will be back in a day or two and then all this will blow over” Stretch muttered under his breathe. “If he's another version of me than he can't hold a grudge for long right?”

**_Wrong!_ **

It had been four days now and Red had taken up a permanent residence on the couch, and his sleep schedule was completely screwed up. It seemed Edge didn't need the cover of night to sneak in. Everytime without fail that Stretch thought they'd be out of food he found three new containers sitting in the fridge, and still no sign of the darker skeleton.

Red was glaring at Blue's room when Stretch got up. He opened his mouth to say his normal morning greeting but Red spoke first in low snarl. **“What The Fuck Did He Say To My Brother”**


	16. . . . Okay? . . . Welp this was unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ya get to find out what Edge had been dealing with for the last four days and Umm. . . Honey-mustard apparently?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So warning honey-mustard in this chapter. (No there is not sin in this chapter . . . Sorry sinners maybe on the next fanfic)

Stretch paused halfway down the stairs. Red looked furious and honestly a little frightening. Dark shadows now lined the underside of his eyes, which seemed to add emphasis to the glowing red eyelights simmering his skull. Red jumped off the couch and started towards Stretch.  **“I want answers! My brother has never stayed away for this fucking long! I want to know what the little brat said to him!”**

“I don't what he said, but he is already upset with himself! I'm sorry Edge went and disappeared, but I don't know what to tell you. Blue never told me what he said to Edge” Stretch said folding his arms and looking down at Red. 

**“then I'll ask him myself!”** Red growled teleporting into Blue's room. He locked the door and turned to see wide and confused blue eyes looking at him. 

“I THOUGHT YOU *cough* WEREN'T TALKING TO *cough* TO ME, UNTIL EDGE CAME BACK?” Blue whimpered and then jumped when Stretch slammed on the door. 

“Red, you son of a bitch! Unlock this door now!” Stretch yelled seriously thinking about breaking the door down. Red rolled his eyes and turned on blue. 

**“I wanna know what the hell you said to my little Bro that he won't come home”** Red said stepping towards Blue. Red's left eyelight going out while the right one lit up with the flange like magic, tiny flecks of gold forming at the tips. 

“I . . . I SAID *cough*  I SAID THAT HE WAS *cough* JUST LIKE  _ HIM _ ” Blue stammered scooting back against the wall. He was terrified of Red right now. Blue's own magic was too weak to defend himself if Red decided to attack him right now. “I-I’M SORRY *cough* I SH-SHOULDN’T HAVE *cough* S-SAID TH-THAT TO *cough* HIM. I'M S-SORRY, *cough* RED. I'M SO SORRY!”

Red frowned seeing the little blue skeleton looking so scared of him. It helped stifle his temper a little.  **“You compared my brother to that scumbag piece of trash! To** **_him_ ** **of all people!”**

“I'M SORRY! *cough* *cough* I SHOULDN'T *cough* HAVE SAID *cough* IT! I KNOW I *cough* I *cough* I WAS *cough* WRONG! I'M *cough* SORRY!” Blue sobbed tears streaking down his face. He was clutching at his chest as he struggled to breathe. He kept muttering apologies with his eyes closed. Red muttered something but Blue didn't hear what it was. He kept crying and apologizing over and over again.

“Sans!” Suddenly he realized he was wrapped up in Stretch’s arms. “Bro calm down. I've got ya” Blue turned his head and sobbed into his brother's hoodie. He nuzzled the soft fabric like it could erase the guilt he felt. 

“BR-BROTHER, I-I . . . I” Blue's mouth was covered by Stretch’s hand.

“It will be okay Blue. Red went out to find Edge and he has calmed down. He's sorry he scared you and for making you upset” Stretch said trying to soothe his brother. Blue slowly stopped crying in his brother's arms. “that's it Blue, just breathe. We'll get this all sorted out today. Calm down”

Blue just clutched his brother, not wanting to move and having nothing to say. He whimpered but drifted off in Stretch’s arms, never letting go of his brother. 

Stretch held Blue like that for over an hour, than he careful pulled himself from Blue's grasp and headed downstairs to find Red curled up in a ball leaning on the front door. “I take it you didn't have any luck finding him”

**“not a damn bit. No one has even seen him! Even Undyne’s cameras only caught him for a couple moments. That Goddamn camouflage of his!”** Red growled burying his skull in his knees. He was tired, in every sense of the word; physically mentally and emotionally. He just wanted his brother back. 

“You look like you need a nap” Stretch said crouching down next to him. Red shook his head but gave a shocked yelp when Stretch scooped him up off the floor. 

**“Wh-what th-the fuck! What are you doing?”** Red demanded hoping that the blush on his face wasn't was obvious as it felt. Stretch chuckled and plopped down on the couch, keeping Red on his lap. 

“Are you blushing?” Stretch asked teasingly, though slight disbelief also colored voice. 

**“Hell no”** Red denied hiding in the neck of sweater again.  Stretch smirked however when he noticed the ever spreading blush grow faster. Stretch dropped his skull so it was level with where Red's ears would have been. 

“Oh, really? So then I'm reading you wrong and there is no interest at all?” Stretch asked, lightly tracing the other's shoulder. Red shivered slightly and looked up at him. 

**“are you saying you're interested in another version of your own brother”** Red asked shivering as Stretch’s hands moved to his spine. 

“Why not? You two are nothing alike. Even our magics are completely different. I don't see a problem, do you?” Stretch asked rubbing Red’s cervical vertebrae. 

**“N-not really”** Red admitted gripping Stretch’s shoulders.  **“But wh-why would ya w-want me?”** he shuddered and looked up at Stretch waiting for an answer. 

“why? Well for starters, you're actually a lot of fun to be around, with the exception of the puns, you have great sense of humor, and you've stuck by my side and helped watch over Blue” Stretch said looking Red in the eyelights. “What about you?”

**“why would I be interested in you? You're laid back and lazy”** Red answered quickly and honestly. Stretch raised a brow bone at the criteria.  **“Try keeping up with my Paps for eighteen years. I promised those will be the two traits that are an absolute must in your partner”** Red blushed even brighter when his brain caught up with his mouth. 

“heh heh, glad to know if meet all your standards” Stretch said leaning back into the couch and pulling Red against his ribcage.

**“You'd really want me? Even though I only have 1 HP”** Red asked, but rested against Stretch.  **“It's never gonna go up, ya know”**

“Doesn't matter to me. I like you the way you are” Stretch said running his hand down Red's spine. “How about we take a nap for a minute?”

**“what about our brothers”** Red asked though his eyes started closing on their own. He could hear soft pulse of Stretch’s soul and started relaxing a little more. 

“I've been told it's better to step away and get your head together instead of going till you collapse” Stretch answered watching Red through half closed eyes. 

**“Sounds like legit advice”** Red agreed before yawning softly.  **“so let's take a fuckin nap”** Red said and blushed brighter when Stretch gently pressed his teeth against the top of his skull.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I've put notes explaining this next bit at the end. Go ahead and read the story, than see if the notes answer any questions you might have)

Edge panted and slid down one of the only trees that was still relatively in one piece. His hands clawed at his skull trying to dislodged the words that were echoing around in his skull. 

_ YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN HIM! _

_ YOU'RE THE MONSTER AS HIM, THE SAME AS DOCTOR GASTER! _

**“I'M NOT THE SAME! WE ARE NOTHING ALIKE!”** Edge hissed to himself eyes tightly shut.  **“I'M NOT A GOOD GUY,  BUT I'M NOT THAT EVIL! I'D NEVER. . .”**

**_Oh, Why Are You Lying To Yourself? There Is No One Around To Pretend For?_ **

**“SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT”** Edge growled curling in on himself. 

**_I Always Knew You Were Not The Brightest Of The Two, But This Is Pathetic. Open Your Eyes And Look At What You've Done._ **

**“SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!”** Edge said trying to tune out the unwanted voice. It just laughed at him. 

**_Honestly A-P2 You Are Only A Tool, Though Perhaps Weapon Is A Better Term For You. There's Nothing One Needs To Know About You Beyond Your Function And Abilities. You Are A Perfectly Designed Killing Machine. At Least When You Let Yourself Be Such._ **

**“YOU'RE WRONG! I'M NOT JUST A WEAPON! I'M A LIVING BEING! NOT AN OBJECT!”** He growled red and gold magic swirling around his hands. If there was anything he could destroy to shut the voice up he'd do it, but there was no such luck. 

**_Really? So Tell Me, What Other Monster Could Deliver This Degree Of Destruction? I'm Not Sure This Doesn't Surpass The Abilities Of A Boss Monster_ **

Edge looked up at the destroyed clearing. He'd run out here to vent his frustration and get rid of extra magic, and the area was now one hundred percent worse for wear because of it. Deep furrows tore up the ground and snow, bits of blasted and burned bark and wood were flung everywhere, several trees had been felled, and long stretches of burned terrain were the signs of his blasters’ wrath. It looked like a war zone.

**_Still Want To Deny That You Are Weapon? I Wonder What Would Have Happened If Your ‘Beloved Brother’ Would Have Showed Up While You Were Doing That? Would You Have Killed Him For Real This Time?_ **

**“NO I'D NEVER HURT SANS! HE'S MY BROTHER AND I LOVE HIM”** Edge said while the voice laughed at him again. 

**_You've Already Done That Several Times Now. You've Hurt Both Your ‘Brother’ And The Blue Wearing Sans. In Fact I'm Not Sure That ‘Blue’ Wasn't Wrong. You Might Actually Be Worse. All The Awful Things You Have Done, They Were Only For Yours And Your ‘Brother's’ Benefit. Not For The Benefit Of Monsters On The Whole._ **

Edge flinched and shook his head.  **“IT WAS WHAT I HAD TO DO TO KEEP US ALIVE. WE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO LIVE, AS MUCH RIGHT AS ANYONE ELSE”**

**_But Did You Really? You're Just Artificial Life, Created In A Test Tube For A Cause You And Your ‘Brother’ Destroyed. So Did You Really Deserve To Live More Than The Real Lives You Cut Down. And It Couldn't Even Be Called A Fair Fight. You're Sole Purpose Of Existing Is To Destroy And End Lives. A Normal Monster Wouldn't Stand A Chance Against You._ **

**“I'M DONE LISTENING TO YOU! SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!”** Edge snapped climbing to his feet. **“SANS IS A ‘REAL’ LIFE AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I'M GOING TO LISTEN TO SPOUT THAT SHIT ABOUT HIM!”**

He fled the clearing heading back for Snowdin. To his relief the voice faded as he got closer to the happy little town. He stopped just outside the town and watched the people go by. To his surprise he saw Red running around from person to person asking them something before quickly moving on to the next. He almost smile, everyone seemed happy to see Red and were polite and kind to him, what stopped him from smiling was the fact he heard what his brother was asking. 

**“have you seen my brother?”**

**“Hey, any of guys caught a whiff on my Bro?”**

**“Have you heard anything from my brother?”**

Edge kept hidden as he watched Red run around. He didn't want to go back to that house. He couldn't face Blue again, not when Blue had so precisely called out the worse things about him. The parts he tried to keep shoved in the darkest corners of his mind. He stepped back into the woods leaving Snowdin and his brother far behind. Once he was sure he was out of Undyne’s cameras sight, he climbed up a tree and laid back closing his eyes. 

He needed to figure out what to do next. He couldn't just stay hiding out in the woods forever. Red was waiting for him to come back. How long had it been two or three days? Edge couldn't remember. He sighed, one way or the other he was going to have to face his brother.  **“MIGHT AS WELL GET IT OVER WITH, THEN”**

He waited till dark before he started walking back towards the house. He was fighting back dark thoughts with every step; some comparing what he'd done to Blue to what had been done to him and Red, some questioning every exp and LV he had ever gained. His soul felt like a solid stone weight in his chest by the time he had reached the house. He sighed and opened the front door with a  _ skeleton key  _ as Blue had called it once. He paused in the hall when he saw a lone figure on the couch. It was his brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those of you wondering what the voice is that Edge hears at the start of this chapter part. Here some info on it.  
> It's based off the idea that in a genocide run the information text starts to become chara's the higher your LV gets.  
> In Edges case it's Gaster's (rather because Dr. G is actually haunting him or Edge's head just decided to use Gaster's voice I'm not sure)


	17. Secret keeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge finally comes home and he's got a lot of explaining to do.

Red was curled up on the couch trying with little success to wait up for his brother. His eyes felt like they were being pulled close by some physical force. He sighed and tightened the grip his arms had on his knees. **“Dammit Bro”**

 **“SLEEPING ON THE COUCH IS BAD FOR YOUR BACK, SANS”** Edge said making Red jump. The shorter skeleton just stared at him like a deer in the headlights. **“YOU SHOULD TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF, WHEN I'M NOT AROUND”**

 **“Paps!”** that was the only warning Edge got before Red had run over and hugged him. Edge got down on his knees, so they were closer to the same height. **“what the hell Paps? Do you have any idea of how worried I've been?”**

 **“SORRY BROTHER”** Edge answered picking his brother up and moving to sit on the couch. Red gave him a look that was split between anger, relief, and concern.

 **“Jeez boss, I thought I looked like hell, but you're not even skin and bones”** Red said half joking. Edge groaned and rolled his eyes.

 **“I'M FINE BROTHER, THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ME”** Edge said as Red rested his skull on his shoulder.

 **“that's bull shit, boss I know what the brat upstairs said to you”** Red said looking up at his brother. **“And Blue was wrong!”**

 **“I. . . I KNOW, BROTHER”** Edge said not meeting his brother's gaze, hoping it would keep Red from seeing what he was really thinking.

 **“Papyrus! Look at me!”** Red growled and pulled Edge’s face so he was looking at Red. **“you are nothing like that twisted lab coat wearing jackass! He was a fucked up heartless individual, who wasn't half the person you are right now”**

Edge pulled himself from his brother's grip refusing to look at him, or even respond to Red's words. Red felt like his soul was going to shatter looking at his brother like this. **“Paps, you're better than** **_him._ ** **How can you even doubt that!”**

 **“BECAUSE HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING I HADN'T ALREADY THOUGHT MYSELF!”** Edge hissed still not looking at his brother. Red just stared in shock.

 **“Why. . . Why didn't you tell me . . . That you were thinking . . . like that”** Red’s voice little more than a whisper. Edge shrugged.

**“WHAT GOOD WOULD IT HAVE DONE?”**

**“A lot! I could've kicked your ass, before you convinced yourself there was any truth in them”** Red growled **“Papyrus look at me!”**

Edge reluctantly followed his brother's instructions and looked his brother in the eyelights. **“you are better than** **_him_ ** **! And you are my brother! I want you to come to me if you ever start thinking like that again! It'll break you, if you keep trying to handle everything on your own. So please Paps, promise me you'll talk to me from now on”**

 **“I WILL TRY SANS, BUT I . . . I AM NOT SURE I COULD COME TALK TO EVERYTIME THAT HAPPENS”** Edge said closing his eyes.

 **“It happens that often?”** Red asked watching as Edge nodded hesitantly. Red sighed and pulled his brother into a tighter hug. **“we will get through this you're not alone. I'll convince you that you're better than** **_him_ ** **because my little Bro is to amazing to think of himself that way”**

 **“. . . THANK YOU, BROTHER”** Edge said smiling a tiny bit. He really did appreciate Red's attempt at cheering him up. **“HOW ABOUT WE GO TO BED NOW, AND ON A ACTUAL BED”** Edge asked as he stood up holding Red. His brother nodded and dropped his head against Edge’s chest. Edge quickly made his way down to the basement and put Red in his bed.

Edge turned to head to his own bed but Red grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him down next to him. **“I want ya to promise you're not gonna have disappeared again, before I wake up”** Red said with his eyes were still closed. Edge sighed but didn't try to argue with him.

 **“ALRIGHT, I PROMISE I'LL STILL BE HERE WHEN YOU WAKE TOMORROW”** Edge promised as brother's breathing evened out in sleep. Edge removed himself from Red's grip and climbed off of his bed. He looked down at his brother, one hand lightly tracing the crack on Red's eye socket. **“AT LEAST THE SCARS** **_HE_ ** **LEFT WERE FOR A REASON, AS CRUEL AS** **_HE_ ** **WAS** **_._ ** **I HAD NO REASON FOR WHAT I DID TO YOU”**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stretch woke up with Blue cuddle against him shaking in his sleep. Undyne still hadn't figured out what was wrong with Blue's magic and while the medicine was helping (his fever being almost non-existent, and the painful attacks being much fewer) there was still things it hadn't done. Blue still went through hot and cold spells, he struggled with breathing or swallowing, and his bones were still extremely frail . . . Not that four days of worrying about Edge was helping his brother in any way.

Stretch reached for another blanket and checked the time. 8:07 A.M. He sighed, he needed to get up and make some food so Blue could take his medicine. Blue whimpered and slid closer to Stretch. “I-IT’S C-COLD P-PAPY”

“I know Bro” Stretch replied throwing the extra blanket over the top of them. “I'm going to go get you some fo-”

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

“Come on in Red?” Stretch called surprised that the shorter skeleton was up this early in the morning. The door opened slowly an unexpected voice sounding before it's owner could be seen.

 **“IT'S NOT RED”** Edge said as he stood in the doorway with two plates of scout toast. **“MIND IF I COME IN?”**

“EDGE!” Blue cried with a little too much enthusiasm. He winced at the protest his throat put up, before speaking in a more reasonable manner. “OF COURSE NOT”

 **“I BROUGHT BREAKFAST”** Edge said handing over a plate of food to each of the other skeletons. They both took the plates from him.

“WHAT ABOUT YOU” Blue asked looking up at Edge, who now had no food.

 **“THERE'S MORE DOWNSTAIRS”** Edge replied as turned to leave. **“JUST FIGURED I'D BRING UP BREAKFAST FOR YOU TWO”**

“EDGE WAIT!” Blue said hoping that Edge would listen. “I'M SORRY ABOUT BEFORE, I DIDN'T MEAN IT AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID IT. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!”

 **“BLUE, I WAS NEVER MAD AT YOU. YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG, SO THERE'S NOTHING TO FORGIVE AND NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE”** Edge said pausing at the door. Stretch raised a brow bone at that.

“So ya just up and disappeared for four days, and you expect us to believe you weren’t even mad?” he gave Edge a harsh look as the darker skeleton turned around and looked at the other two.

 **“I SAID THAT I WASN'T MAD AT BLUE, NOT THAT I WASN'T MAD”** Edge clarified crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe. **“I WAS MAD, BECAUSE I WAS SICK OF FEELING HELPLESS. I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH THAT SORT OF THING WHEN ME AND RED CAME HERE. FINDING OUT THE CONTRARY PISSED ME OFF AND TOOK ME A COUPLE DAYS TO COOL OFF”**

It was a bold face lie, but Edge had always been good at lying. He honestly didn't blame Blue and didn't feel like Blue owed him an apology, that part was true. The rest of it he'd thought up on the fly, to avoid the potentially upsetting conversation about rather Edge was really like _him._ Edge didn't think Blue could or should handle that kind of stress right now.

“OH, I’M SO-” Edge had crossed back over and covered Blue's mouth with his hand.

 **“I ALREADY TOLD YOU, THERE'S NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR, SO STOP SAYING YOU'RE SORRY. IT'S FINE”** Edge said fixing Blue with a serious look before moving his hand. **“NOW I'M GOING DOWN FIX RED SOME FOOD, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING YOU NEED FROM ME”**

When neither brother said anything so Edge headed back down to the kitchen. He cracked some eggs into a skillet to make omelettes. He quickly fell into the relaxing sense that cooking gave him. He skimmed the edges of omelettes with a spatula, making sure it wasn't stuck to the pan.

“So what's really bothering you?” Stretch asked, startling the preoccupied Edge. A couple bone attacks half summoned before Edge dissipated them. “You really need to work on that, one of these times someone might actually get hurt” Stretch said pointing to where he'd seen the half formed attacks.

 **“I'M AWARE OF THAT, AND I'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT. WHERE DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN GOING AT SIX, EVERY MORNING AND EVENING?”** Edge growled turning back to his cooking. He did his best to ignore the hoodie wearing skeleton, but it was hard when he could feel the other's constant stare locked on him. **“WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT?”**

“The truth, what's really bothering you, because you gave us a lot crap up there”  he said stepping over and standing by Edge.

 **“LET'S JUST SAY, THAT WHAT'S BOTHERING ME IS THAT I'M NOT SURE HOW FAR OFF THE MARK YOUR BROTHER REALLY WAS”** Edge said before both of the taller skeletons jumped back as a red bone shattered against the wall, in front of them.

 **“Dammit Paps! You're nothing like** **_him_ ** **what do I gotta do to get ya to see that?”** Red said clearly struggling to keep his voice down. Stretch stared between the dark brothers wondering if he should intervene or not. Something seemed off with Red today. He would have expected Edge to interrupt a conversation by firing an attack, but not Red.

 **“SANS . . . ARE YOU OKAY”** Edge asked as he finished preparing his and Red's food.

 **“Fucking grand! You just disappeared for four Goddamn days! Don't come back till the middle of fucking night! You tell me you'll be there when I wake up and your bed is fucking empty!”** Red growled his voice going a few pitches lower than normal. Stretch took a step back surprised to see Red acting so aggressive and angry.

 **“I'M SORRY BROTHER, I GOT UP TO MAKE BREAKFAST. I DIDN'T MEAN TO WORRY YOU”** Edge said surprisingly calm for the death glare he was getting from Red.

 **“ya didn't mean to worry me? Then why the hell were ya gone for so damn long!”** Red said several bones springing up around Edge, missing by less than an inch.

“Hey Red! Ya need to calm down” Stretch said stepping forward to try and get Red’s attention off of Edge, but several bones suddenly encased him in a box.

 **“DON'T GET YOURSELF INVOLVED STRETCH. ME AND MY BROTHER CAN WORK THIS OUT ON OUR OWN”** Edge said reaching around the bones and grabbing one of the plates off the counter and offered it to Red. **“BROTHER I THINK WE SHOULD GO FOR A** **_WALK_ ** **BUT HOW ABOUT WE EAT FIRST?”**

 **“A** **_walk_ ** **. . . Shit!”** Red cursed shaking his head, the bones around Edge vanishing. **“S-sorry P-paps”**

 **“IT'S FINE BROTHER, BUT YOU SHOULD EAT SOMETHING”** Edge said walking over and placing one of the plates on table, then went back and grabbed the other. Red hopped up on the chair and started on his food.

“Hey Edge, think ya can let me go now” Stretch was thoroughly confused by what just happened. His gaze kept flicking between the two brothers.

Edge nodded and the bones disappeared. Stretch walked over and sat down by Red. He'd never seen Red act like this before. It was a one eighty from how he'd been acting the last four days. All he'd wanted was for Edge to come back and then he attacks him first thing in the morning.

“Red is everything alright?” Stretch asked and Red immediately stiffened and looked away.

 **“yeah, I'm fine”** Red said jumping when Stretch reached over and turned his skull so they facing each other.

“That's a lie you're not . . . Have you always had gold in your eyelights?” Stretch suddenly asked noticing small golden stripes inside Red's eyelights. Red jumped to floor and threw what could only be described as a panicked looked at Edge.

 **“Boss can we leave now?”** he asked eyes pleading with Edge to agree.

 **“ONCE YOU HAVE EATEN WE CAN LEAVE. THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M DEALING WITH YOU WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY”** Edge said bring another bite of his own food to his mouth. Red groaned but went back to his plate. He started on his food at a pace so fast that Stretch was he was sure going to choked.

Red finished his food and darted for the front door. Edge sighed and got up to follow his brother leaving his plate half eaten. **“ME AND RED WILL BE BACK LATER TONIGHT, PLEASE DON'T BURN THE HOUSE DOWN WHILE WE'RE ABSENT”** Edge said before letting Red hurry him out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those of you wondering when Edge said let's go for a 'walk' it's an old code word they used back in underfell. (They knew about Alphys and her cameras and didn't want her to know what they were talking about)


	18. Limits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue just keeps getting worse.

Stretch stood in the kitchen staring at the new dent in the wall. Red's bone could have done some real damage if it had hit someone. He couldn't figure out what that was this morning. It was like Red was a whole different person.

“P-PAPY?” Blue's hoarse voice called snapping stretch out of his daze. He turned and headed for Blue's room, but paused at the foot of the steps. “C-COULD Y-YOU H-HELP M-ME D-DOWN TH-THE R-REST O-OF TH-THE W-WAY?” Blue asked clinging to the banister. He had heard the commotion going on downstairs and had tried to check what was going on. He'd made it pretty far on his own, but about eight stairs down he'd sudden become very dizzy. He didn't dare try to take another step or he might fall down.

“Blue, what are you doing!” Stretch hurried up to Blue's side. He reached down to pick Blue up, but the shorter skeleton wrapped his arms around the banister tightly so Stretch couldn't.

“W-WAIT P-PAPY, I W-WANT T-TO W-WALK A L-LITTLE M-MORE. . . J-JUST” Blue reached out and grabbed Stretch’s hand. “M-MAKE S-SURE I D-DON'T F-FALL, P-PLEASE”

“Okay, Bro, just don't push it too far” Stretch warned as they started down to living room. Blue took every step cautiously, but the dizziness got the better of him, five steps from the bottom. He missed step and almost fell. Stretch caught him and carried him to the couch. “want me to get ya a some blankets?”

“Y-YEAH I-IT'S A L-LITTLE C-COLD” Blue admitted pulling his knees up so he rest his head on them. Stretch ran up stairs and grabbed a couple of blankets and brought them back down to Blue.

“I warned ya not to over do it” Stretch said draping one of the blankets over Blue's shoulders. Blue pulled the blanket tighter and looked up at Stretch.

“B-BUT I’M S-SICK OF L-LYING A-AROUND ALL D-DAY, P-PAPY! I W-WANT T-TO G-GET U-UP A-AND G-GET S-STUFF D-DONE L-LIKE I U-USED T-TO” Blue said leaning against Stretch when he sat down next to him. She wrapped an arm around Blue trying to comfort him.

“Yeah, I know Bro, but don't worry about it. Undyne will figure out what's going on and get you fixed up good as new” Stretch said as Blue cuddled closer shivering still. “You'll be back to running around and training and making puzzles in no time”

“I-I H-HOPE S-SO I'M _S-SICK_ OF B-BEING S-SICK” Blue smiling while Stretch groaned at pun. “B-BAD J-JOKE H-HUH? TH-THIS IS N-NO L-LAUGHING M-MATTER”

“One more pun and I'm taping your mouth shut” Stretch warned and Blue giggled covering his mouth, almost too tempted to asked why his brother didn't find him humerus. Stretch sighed and rolled his eyelights. “How about we watch some Napstaton?”

“S-SURE!” Blue squeaked excitedly, as Stretch flipped the TV on. A cooking show was on and they both laid back to watch. Stretch reached over and put another blanket on Blue. “N-NO P-PAPY IT W-WILL G-GET T-TO H-HOT”

“Blue it's fine, I don't want you freezing” Stretch said putting the remote on the table.

“B-BUT I'M N-NOT C-COLD” Blue whined shoving the blankets away from him. Stretch pinched the ridge of his nasal cavity, and sucked in a deep breath.

“Sans you've been shivering since you woke up this morning. You don't need to try and act like you're fine” he said as evenly as he could. Why couldn't Blue just let him help without trying to prove he could be the tough guy?

“I-I KN-KNOW B-BUT I'M N-NOT TH-THAT C-COLD. I F-FEEL R-REALLY . . . SH-SHAKY? A-AND D-DIZZY. B-BUT I'M N-NOT C-COLD” Blue explained shuddering against Stretch, who looked down at him with a whole new worry to add to his list. It seemed to be getting longer and longer by the hour.

“Blue, I'm going to call Undyne stay here” Stretch jumped from the couch and retrieved his cell phone from the depths of his hoodie pocket. Blue nodded mutely as Stretch went into the kitchen.

“h-hello? P-Papyrus? Wh-what's g-going on?” Undyne said in a tired voice and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She'd just fallen asleep at her desk when Stretch had called.

“I'm not sure. . . Sans has been shivering all morning, but he claims he's not cold, just shaky and dizzy. Do you know what's going on with that?” Stretch paced the kitchen as he listened, waiting for Undyne to speak.

“It . . . I-it’s n-not a g-good s-sign. . . It m-means th-that th-the m-medicine c-can't k-keep up w-with wh-whatever is m-making h-him s-sick. H-His m-magic is g-getting th-thinner, wh-which m-means th-that h-his m-marrow is a-also g-getting th-thinner. Th-that's w-why h-he's sh-shaking a-and f-feels d-dizzy” Undyne stammered looking over the notes on top of her desk. She'd been up all night running tests on the magic sample she had taken from Blue when she had checked on him with Edge.

“Undyne, what can I do? How do I make this easier for him?” Stretch asked pulling down in the hem of his hoodie. Blue's frail bones suddenly made a lot more sense, if his marrow was thinking than his bones were no longer get the nutrients that they needed.

“I . . . I d-don’t kn-know, P-Papyrus. I h-have b-been w-working on th-this all n-night . . . A-and I h-have n-nothing . . . No c-clue as t-to wh-why th-this is h-happening. Th-the o-only th-thing y-you c-can d-do is m-make s-sure h-he r-rests, and n-no h-high ph-physical a-activity” She said with the low thud of dropping her head against the table. “S-sorry, I a-am t-trying m-my b-best”

“it's. . . It's fine Undyne, I know you're doing everything you can right now” Stretch choked out, on the verge of clocking out again. Blue couldn't die! He couldn't handle it if he did!

“P-Papyrus? P-Papyrus, d-did y-you h-hear m-me?” Undyne all be yelled through the phone snapping Stretch out of his daze.

“Sorry, what did ya say” he asked sliding down the wall and curling up on the floor. When was this nightmare going to end?

“I s-said, m-maybe I c-could f-figure o-out wh-what is g-going o-on if I h-had s-some of h-his m-marrow. Th-the s-sample I t-took fr-from h-his s-soul s-seems c-completely c-clean” She stammered nervously clicking her claws on the top of the desk.

“His marrow? Undyne how do you even plan on getting that out? We’re made of bone. You can't exactly stick him with a needle and pull some out” Stretch said trying to figure out how she'd do it.

“I'd h-have t-to d-drill a s-small h-hole in o-one o-of h-his b-bones. A-and h-he h-has t-to a-agree t-to it, I-I'm n-not d-doing th-that t-to h-him w-without h-his c-consent” Undyne answered fighting a yawn. She was exhausted, and going on thirty-five hours with no sleep.

“Yeah, I'll talk to him and see if he would be willing to let you try. You get some rest, I'll call ya back in a little bit, this isn't going to be an easy conversation with Sans” Stretch said watching the light dance on the tiled floor.

“W-wait! d-did E-Edge c-come b-back y-yet?”

“Yeah, apparently he came back late last night, but he and Red started off this morning on the wrong foot, so they went out for a ‘walk’ to talk things out I think” Stretch said replaying that confusing scene in the kitchen this morning.

“O-oh I'm g-glad t-to h-hear th-that” Undyne said while yawning.

“Undyne get some sleep, I'll call ya in couple of hours okay?” Stretch said climbing to his feet and heading back to the living room.

“O-okay, good luck Papyrus” she said before hanging up. Stretch took a deep breath in preparation for what was about to come.

“P-PAPY? WH-WHAT D-DID UN-UNDYNE S-SAY?” Blue asked as soon as Stretch came into view.

“Well . . . She . . . She said that the dizziness and the shaking is because the medicine can't . . . Can't” Stretch had to take another deep breath before he spoke again. “it can't keep up with what is making you sick . . . And Your magic . . . And Your marrow are starting.  . . To thin again” Stretch was blinking back tears when a tiny hand grabbed his hoodie and pulled him down on the couch. He nearly landed on Blue, but the small skeleton didn't care. Blue hugged his brother.

“IT W-WILL B-BE O-OKAY, P-PAPY. U-UNDYNE IS TH-THE S-SMARTEST M-MONSTER I KN-KNOW SH-SHE W-WILL F-FIGURE TH-THIS O-OUT. S-SO P-PLEASE D-DON'T C-CRY. IF TH-THERE'S A-ANYTHING SH-SHE N-NEEDS M-ME T-TO D-DO; I W-WILL D-DO IT.  I'M N-NOT G-GOING T-TO B-BE D-DIFFICULT A-ABOUT TH-THIS.” Blue had never seen his brother so close to tears before. He didn't say a word as Stretch pulled him onto his lap and nearly crushed him against his chest. He just hugged him back harder.

“She wants you to let her take a,marrow sample” Stretch whispered trying to keep himself together. He felt any hope of this actually going over easily spontaneously combust, and disintegrate when Blue went stiff as a board.

“N-NOT TH-THAT P-PLEASE” Blue whimpered in a small voice that sent chills down Stretch’s spine. His brother sounded . . . Hopeless? Maybe even broken was the better way to describe it. It was like Blue had shut down right there, his eyes were completely devoid of light and mouth was etched into something between a frown and grimace. “P-PLEASE D-DON'T M-MAKE M-ME”

“Blue, we're not going to make you” Stretch started to say but Blue wasn't listening. He was trembling and trying to get his head out of the past, but it was like his mind had been caught in a bear trap. The same scenes kept replaying over and over again in his head. “Blue. . . Sans breathe” Stretch shook Blue's shoulders but the later stayed frozen until he passed out “Brother!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh oops, this was all swap brothers. . . Hope you guys weren't curious about the fell brothers!


	19. Questions never answered and questions never asked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a small bit of flashback and some angst amongst the skeletons!

A-S1 could feel the cold steel wall press against his back as he slowly came around. A smiled pulled at the corners of his mouth as the smaller skeleton shifted in his arms. A-P2 had snuck out of his bed and joined him. A-S1 rubbed the little one's shoulders coaxing him back to sleep. A-P2 had brought some much joy to A-S1 since the Doctor had decided to leave him in charge of the younger skeleton. A-S1 loved looking after him, it gave him something to do besides waiting around fearing when the Doctor would come back to conduct another test. 

_ “Why Aren’t You Up Yet? And Why Is A-P2 In Your Bed?” _ The Doctor growled making A-S1 jump then yelp when it jostled his neck. The cervical vertebrae were bandaged but light blue marrow was starting to bleed through. 

“SORRY, SIR. HE CLIMBED IN WHILE I WAS SLEEPING” A-S1 replied sitting up and keeping his eyes locked on the floor. He flinched as black shoes stepped through the magical barrier that kept the two smaller skeletons inside their cell.

_ “I Don't Believe That I Asked When? I Asked Why Is A-P2 In Your Bed?” _ A-S1 started trembling and struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn't get them both punished. Normally A-S1 woke up before the Doctor came to check on them so he had time to move A-P2 back to his own bed. But he hadn't this morning! 

A-S1 looked up taller skeleton in fear. The different colored eyelights stared down at him impatiently. The Doctor was intimidating to say the least with the two large cracks that ran across his skull. One ran from the blue eyelight down the right side of his face to the end of his bones. The other crack went from his orange left eye to the top of his skull. He scowled at A-S1  _ “I Am Waiting” _

“I - I . . . UM . . . HE . . . IT . . . WAS ” A-S1 sputtered trying to give an answer, but before he came up with something another voice piped up. 

“Cause I'm gonna pwotect ‘im from you” A-P2 said glaring at the Doctor with unafraid eyes. “I'm not gonna let ya hurt ‘im anymowe” he summoned and fired a couple bones and the Doctor. 

_ “Is That So?” _ the Doctor didn't even try to avoid the attacks they barely did five points of damage and summoned his own attack. _ “A-P2 I Think You Need To Be Taught A Lesson Since You Obviously Don't Know Where Your Place Is” _

_ Crack!  _

“AHHHHH” A-S1 bit the cry short. He whimpered as the Doctor pulled the bone from his shoulder. A-P2 stared up at A-S1 in stunned shock. 

_ “A-S1 What Are You Doing? Why Are You Interfering With A-P2’s Punishment” _ The Doctor asked unamused as he watched him slouch down lower still protecting A-P2 with his body. 

“IT'S M-MY *gasp* MY FAULT NOT *huff* NOT HIS. I WAS *pant* WAS IN CHARGE OF *gasp* HIM AND I FAILED TO *huff* T-TEACH HIM HIS *pant* HIS PLACE, SO TAKE *gasp* TAKE IT OUT ON ME. *pant* PLEASE! JUST DON'T *huff* DON'T HURT HIM” A-S1 watched as blue dripped down onto the sterile white bedsheets. His whole frame was shaking and the edges of his vision were turning black. 

The Doctor looked down at his usually obedient tool and checked his HP 4/72.  _ “A-S1 Come With Me Then, If You Feel Up To Taking A-P2’S Punishment, Then You Clearly Feel Up To Finishing Yesterday's Test” _ A-S1 hurried out of the bed his feet tangling in the sheets and crashing to the floor, losing another point of HP. The Doctor sighed but used blue magic to drag A-S1 to his feet. The two left A-P2 lying stunned on bed as they went to the testing room. 

A-S1 stumbled several times, but never falling over,  before reaching the sterile room with steel table in the middle of it. The doctor motioned for A-S1 to get on the table before turning and starting up the massive computer that took up the corner of the room. 

_ “A-S1 I Must Say I Am Rather Unimpressed With Your Behavior This Morning. You Couldn't Have Had More Than Twenty HP After Yesterday's Test; Taking A Blow Like The Could Have Killed You” _ The Doctor said as A-S1 stumbled and caught himself on the table edge.  _ “Now Lay On The Table And Stop Wasting My Time” _

“YES *pant* SIR” A-S1 answered climbing on top of the table and lying down. He closed his eyes just before the restraints snapped closed around his arms legs and the base of his spine. The sharp metallic clink made the marrow in his bones turn to ice. He shivered as he heard the  _ ting, ting ting _ of the Doctor approaching footsteps. 

_ “Hold Still And Summon Your Soul” _ The Doctor ordered messing with some metal fixture that A-S1 refused to look at. Seeing what was about to be done made it so much worse. He whimpered as his soul was grabbed with cold hands and removed from his ribcage.

“NNNNHHHHG” His hands clenched into fists as a needle was stabbed into his soul and the burning feeling started. His soul was returned to his chest with a small tube still attached to it. The Doctor was talking to himself muttering calculations under his breath. 

_ “Thirty-Seven cc Of DT Extract At A Concentration Of 45 ppm . . . . 58 cc Of Reviving Mana . . . . Soul Should Stabilize In About Thirty Minutes” _ A-S1 tried to tune it out. Though he listened enough to gather he had about thirty minutes before the tests would begin. He started making up puzzles in his head and trying to solve them to kill the time. He hated when things couldn't just start, it meant that he was stuck here just that much longer. 

Suddenly something cold was pressed against his femur. His thirty minutes was up.  A-S1’s snapped open just before the drill bit tore into his leg. He screamed so loudly it rattled his healing neck. His mouth was covered by the Doctor's summon hands. He screamed even harder as the drill finally jumped forward into the cavity where his marrow resided. 

_ “There, Now To Inje. . .” _ A-S1 blacked out before the Doctor finished inserting yet another tube into the newly drilled hole. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stretch was sitting in the kitchen with an untouched box of food from Muffet’s. Edge hadn't time to precook food before he and Red had run off this morning, so Stretch had ran and grabbed food for himself and Blue. The only problem was that Blue hadn't woken up yet. He called Undyne and she said that sounded like Blue must have had a panic attack, and that he'd wake up on his own time. That'd been close to an hour ago. 

“AHHHHH” Blue voiced sounded from upstairs. Stretch booked it up stairs to find his brother curled up on his side pale blue magic flickering in a weak flame like impersonation. “P-PAPY?”

“I'm here Blue” Stretch ran a hand along Blue's skull and wiping away the tears that were running down Blue's cheek. “I'm here Sans” he said pulling Blue onto his lap and tried to soothe him.

“P-PAPY? I-IT H-HURTS” Blue whimpered fingers digging into his brother's chest. He could still feel where the drill had gone through his bone, still feel all of it! He gave a sharp keening whine in his brother's arms. 

“Blue, I'll go get some medicine ju”

“NO! N-NO P-PLEASE!” Blue screamed face still buried in Stretch’s hoodie. He took a shaky breath and managed to speak in a softer voice. “J-JUST S-STAY W-WITH M-ME, P-PLEASE”

“Blue . . . Okay I'll stay, just try and breathe for me” Stretch said and Blue nodded slowly like his head might fall off if he wasn't careful. Stretch gingerly rubbed Blue's back and shoulders. Neither one spoke until Blue's breathing had slowed down and evened out. “How are you feeling Bro?”

“DIZZY . . . AND TRIED ” Blue said in a meek voice and slouched against Stretch. A small yawn escaped him. Now that the panic had left he was just exhausted. “I JUST . . . WOKE UP. HOW . . . CAN I . . . STILL BE . . .TIRED?”  he whined letting his eyes fall shut.

“Blue?” Stretch shifted slightly and tilted Blue's head so he was looking at his face. 

“MMMMM?” Blue didn't even try to make words. His eyes only cracked open a little. 

“Why are . . . Why are you more scared of letting us help you than this killing you” Stretch asked as he moved Blue so he was lying back down on the bed. 

“MAKES . . . .REMEMBER. . . . BAD TIMES . . .  _ HIM _ . . . . HURTS” Blue mumbled half of his words completely indistinguishable, before he fell back to sleep.

Who the hell is _ him?  _ Stretch thought to himself. Red and Edge had also referred to a  _ him  _ as well but never gave  _ him _ a name. Another secret that everyone was keeping from him. He moved over to the chair and put his head in his hand.

“This is the first time Blue has even remotely honest with me about this, and it's only because he was too tired to think straight” Stretch spoke to himself. He got up and went to take a shower, hoping it would wash away some of the weight on his shoulders. 

He turned the water as hot as it could go and climbed in curling up underneath what would've been searing a spray he'd had flesh. This was getting to be too much. As if Blue getting sick wasn't bad enough, he had to watch his brother slowly wither away, while two dark versions of him and his brother ran around keeping their own secrets. “What else can go wro. . . No I don't even want to know.” Stretch said afraid that whatever God might be out there would take it as a challenge. 

He only got out once the hot water had run out and was cold enough that he was rattling slightly. He grabbed a clean hoodie and sweats and threw them on and headed for his room.

_ Slam! _

Stretch jumped and headed towards the sound. If he had to guess he'd bet that Edge and Red were home and that they'd slammed the front door as they came in. “Red? Edge? You two back?”

Stretch was half way down when he caught sight of the skeletons. Edge was sitting on the couch and Red was kneeling on ground in front of him. . . And was he shaking? He paused when he hit the bottom of the stairs. Now he could really see the two skeletons. Starting with the large bruise the covered the right side of Red's skull. 

“What the hell happened to you!” Red flinched and looked away from Stretch. 

**“I'm fine don't worry about me”** Red said flatly getting to his feet. Stretch bit back a growl and glared at Edge. 

“What did you do to him!” he demanded stepping towards the darker skeleton. Edge glared at him with a ‘screw you’ kind of look “How could you do this to him? What's wrong with you!”

**“IT'S REALLY NOT ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS. SO HOW ABOUT YOU BUTT OUT OF IT AND WORRY ABOUT TAKING CARE OF YOUR OWN BROTHER. YOU KNOW INSTEAD OF TRYING TO TELL ME HOW TO HANDLE MINE”** Edge snapped back getting to his feet a little awkwardly, leaning more on his left side. 

“Well clearly you need to be told how if your bruising the entire right side of his skull!” Stretch yelled back at him. 

**“LAST I CHECKED MY BROTHER WASN'T THE ONE DYING, SO I'D SAY I'M DOING A BETTER JOB THAN YOU”** Edge growled lowly and Stretch cringed like he'd been physically struck. His eyelights went black and he spoke in a flat tone. 

_“You Take That Back You Worthless Piece Of Shit”_ both Edge and Red stepped back from Stretch, in that one sentence he sounded exactly like _him._ In tone and the fluctuation he'd copied _his_ voice perfectly. They looked at each other in shock, that evidently turned out to be a mistake for Edge. The second his eyes left Stretch several bones sprung up from the floor and caught him in the rib cage. The force of the blow knocked him back a couple steps but his right leg gave out under him. He clattered the floor with more than few choice words leaving his mouth.

**“B-boss! Stretch stop this, now!”** Red's voice was half way between a growl and flat out begging. He threw himself in between the two of them. 

_ “Red, Move Out Of The Way” _ he said in that same chilling voice. He took another step forward and Red glared at him trying not shake.

**“If you want to hurt him, you're gonna have to dust me first”** Red warned and Stretch frowned and glared between them. Edge had pushed himself up on his arms with a pained look painted on his face. He reached over and pulled Red behind him as got to his feet. 

“P-PAPY?” Blue's voice sounded from the top of the stairs. “P-PAPY, WH-WHAT A-ARE Y-YOU D-DOI . . . EDGE! WH-WHAT H-HAPPENED T-TO Y-YOUR L-LEG!” Blue nearly screamed as he noticed the dark red marrow pooling on the carpet under Edge’s right leg. 


	20. Scars that never show through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worked out in the end.

**“IT GOT A LITTLE BANGED UP, BUT IT'S NOT THAT BAD, BLUE”** Edge said calmly not taking his eyes off Stretch, who was still glaring at him with dark lightless eyes.  **“ARE YOU OKAY BLUE? YOU'RE SHAKING”**

“E-EDGE IT I-IS TH-THAT B-BAD!” Blue squeaked taking a trembling step down the steps. 

**“BLUE, I'LL BE FINE I'VE HAD A LOT WORSE”** Edge said limping forward and folding his arms. “ **AND I SWEAR TO ASGORE, IF YOU TRY AND TAKE ONE MORE STEP DOWN THOSE STAIRS I'M COMING UP THERE AND CARRYING YOU BACK TO YOUR ROOM”**

**“Y-yeah Blue don't strain yourself, I'll take of my Bro”** Red said standing next to Edge trying to hide the worse off the bruises by pulling the hood of his jacket up. 

“WH-WHAT H-HAPPENED T-TO Y-YOU T-TWO” Blue asked noticing a few of the bruises that Red couldn't hide.

**“WE WERE TRAINING AND MISS JUDGED AN ATTACK”** Edge said and Stretch snorted but his eyelights came back.

“You expect us to believe a single botched attack left that many bruises on Red’s skull?” Stretch asked folding his arms across his chest. “Because I'm willing to bet his whole bo-”

**“Shut the hell up! I'm the one who fucked up! Not him!”** Red yelled at Stretch both anger and betrayal his face. **“This is my fault! I'm the who** **_botched_ ** **the fucking attack and yes I fucked up more than once! So leave my brother alone! Hell leave both of us alone!”**

Everything was dead quiet in the room as Red steamed throwing a long murderous look at the hoodie clad skeleton. Edge was first the first to break the silence.  **“DAMMIT BLUE! I WAS SERIOUS!”** He snarled as he limped passed a still stunned Stretch and made his way up the stairs. 

Blue had made it down another three stairs but was now clinging to the banister as his head spun sickeningly. He barely processed Edge’s words before he was scooped up in his arms. “D-DON’T Y-YOU'LL H-HURT Y-YOUR L-LEG W-WORSE”

**“I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT MY LEG”** Edge growled as he limped into Blue's room leaving Stretch and Red in the living room.

**“What the hell, Stretch! You assault my brother right after accusing him of attacking me?!”** Red snapped right eyelight giving off the beginnings of that fire like appearance.

“No, after he said that . . .  _ That  _ about my Bro” Stretch replied sounding just as angry. “He practically said that I was my fault Blue is . . . As sick . . . as he is” he choked up at the end. 

Red pinched the ridge of his nasal cavity.  **“Yes because you accused him of hurting me”**

“What the hell am I supposed to think when you come home with half your skull bruised, huh?” Stretch asked throwing his arms above his head. 

**“I don't know! But how about you fucking ask what happened and wait for a goddamn answer before jumping to conclusions!”** Red said crossing his arms and glaring up Stretch.

“Oh because you guys would actually have given me a straight fucking answer! All the three of you guys have done is hide shit from me!” Stretch snapped pressing his hands on his temples.

**“what do you mean by that?”** Red said taken aback. Stretch closed his eyes and sat down on the couch. 

“I mean Blue not telling why he's so terrified of medicine or anything of that nature, yours and Edge’s bull shit story about what happened on that  _ walk  _ you went on, and not one of you guys have even tried to explain who the hell this  _ him _ is that you all seem to know” Stretch said in defeat. He couldn't keep this up, not when the other three were so determinedly working against him. He just wanted to give up; Undyne couldn't save Blue, not without the marrow sample and Blue clearly couldn't handle that. A part of him, more prominent than he'd like to admit, wanted to curl up next to his brother and dust with him. 

**“That's because it's not something that's easy to talk about. . . Especially** **_him_ ** **. I can't speak for what happened here, but in my place** **_he_ ** **was . . .** **_He_ ** **tormented me and my Bro for years before . . . Till we turned on** **_him_ ** **and killed** **_him”_ ** Red answers, feeling bad for Stretch. He couldn't even imagine what it'd be like watching his brother get so sick, and to have everyone keeping secrets from him. Something told him that Stretch was probably at or close to his wits end. 

“What?” Stretch’s head snapped up and he looked at Red in surprise. He hadn't thought Red would give him an answer and he certainly hadn't expected  _ that  _ answer. “what do you mean by that? What did he do to you?”

**“I told you this hard to talk about. He did a lot of shit to both of us. We were just tools to him”** Red said sitting down next to Stretch. He sighed but pulled down the neck of his sweater revealing the scarred cervical vertebrae. Two clean and straight grooves ran through the delicate bones.  **“he didn't give a damn about how his test affected us; he just wanted answers, and me and my Bro are still paying the consequences for his choices”**

Stretch gasped as he looked at the scars on his neck. “B-Blue has an almost identical scar on his neck.”

**“I'm not surprised this was one of the first things he did that left scars. . . I'm honestly surprised you don't have any”** Red admitted hiding his neck again and shivering slightly.  **“I don't know how Blue pulled that off”**

Stretch’s hand went to his own neck, unscarred just like the rest of his bones. He'd known about Blue's scars, and not just the ones on his neck, but Blue had made them seem like they were nothing and Blue had had them for as long as Stretch could remember. “He has never said anything about this to me” his voice was almost inaudible.

**“yeah, he asked us not talk about** **_him_ ** **or anything** **_he_ ** **did. Said you didn't remember any of it and didn't want ya to”** Red said putting a hand on Stretch’s shoulder.  **“I can't say I blame him. If I could have made it so my Bro didn't remember, I'd have done it.  Hell I would love to forget myself”**

They fell into an awkward silence, neither one knowing what to say next. Red leaned against Stretch letting the other pull him up on his lap. 

**“You ever attack my Bro again and I'll kick your ass so hard it will have a permanent imprint of the bottom of my shoe”** Red growled as Stretch chuckled lightly and held him closer.

“consider me warned”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“E-EDGE, S-STOP!” Blue squeaked as Edge carried him to his bed. Edge ignored his squawking and tucked Blue in. “E-EDGE WH-WHAT A-ABOUT R-RED”

**“WHAT ABOUT HIM? HE COULD KICK YOUR BROTHER'S ASS IF WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT, IF YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT HIM GETTING HURT”** Edge said sitting next to Blue and petting his skull.  **“MY BROTHER IS A LOT TOUGHER THAN YOU'D THINK”**

“B-BUT P-PAPY W-WOULD F-FEEL R-REALLY B-BAD IF H-HE H-HURT R-RED. H-HE R-REALLY L-LIKES R-RED” Blue whimpered. Stretch wasn't the type to lose his temper but when he finally did he was really scary. Edge raised a brow bone at Blue.  **_THERE'S NO WAY HE'S THAT INNOCENT THAT HE DOESN'T SEE WHAT'S GOING ON BETWEEN OUR BROTHERS._ ** Edge thought to himself. 

**“TRUST ME HE WON'T BE ABLE TO LAY A HAND ON RED”** Edge reached over and grabbed a book off Blue's nightstand.  _ Wondrous puzzles and japs from across the ages  _ was written on the cover.  **“HOW ABOUT WE LOOK AT THIS AND LET THE TWO OF THEM WORK THINGS OUT BY THEMSELVES?”**

“O-OKAY” Blue sounded unsure but also knew there was nothing he could do anyway, even if he got passed Edge. So he sat up and leaned into Edge so he see the pages. It actually was a lot of fun. Edge got into the puzzles as much Blue. An hour later and they were still on the first chapter debating the workings of the puzzle on page 32. Edge would've stayed like this all evening but he had injuries he couldn't ignore anymore. 

**“NOW IF I LEAVE TO BANDAGE MY LEG WILL YOU STAY PUT FOR TEN SECONDS, TILL I COME BACK?”** Edge asked straightening up slowly. Blue pouted but nodded, a little disgruntled that Edge was leaving, but brightened back up when the taller skeleton added.  **“THEN I'LL BE BACK IN A FEW MINUTES”**

Edge headed to the bathroom, but just his luck, the first aid kit wasn't in there. He grumbled but headed down the stairs, cursing Stretch for not putting the damn thing up. He froze as he walked into the living room. Stretch and Red were curled up together on the couch, both asleep. 

Edge could be dense but even he wasn't so dense he couldn't figure out that there was something more going on between his brother and Stretch. He'd snuck in yesterday and overheard part of their conversation. That had been shocking to say the least. He had never known that Red had felt so insecure about having 1 HP, or that they would be interested in each other. Still Edge couldn't say they didn't make a good pairing for each other. 

He limped soundlessly into the kitchen and found the first aid kit sitting on the counter. He grabbed it and sat at the table. Marrow covered his hands and he tried to gently pull the now drenched fabric up and away from the broken bones. He sucked in a sharp breath as bottom half of his fibula twisted against the magic that held his bones together and clicked on the floor.  **_AT LEAST IT'S STILL ATTACHED AT THE ANKLE!_ ** Edge told himself mentally, trying to be grateful. If the magic had disconnected from the bone, it would take a lot longer to heal.

“Damn, Edge. What happened?” Stretch asked making the other jump. Edge's eyes flashed up to the other skeleton.

**“SORRY IF I WOKE YOU”** Edge said avoiding Stretch’s question. Stretch sighed and walked over and looked at the injured bones. 

“Nah wasn't actually asleep, Red just seemed wiped, so . . . I didn't dare leave” Stretch said with a shrug. 

**“DIDN'T DARE, OR DIDN'T WANT TO?”** Edge asked, teasing the other slightly. Stretch looked away awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.  **“IT'S FINE, I DON'T CARE IF YOU TWO DATE OR WHATEVER, AS LONG AS HE IS HAPPY AND HEALTHY. I DON'T CARE WHO HE'S WITH. BUT IF YOU EVER HURT HIM IN ANYWAY, I'LL DUST YOU BEFORE YOU CAN SAY THE WORD MERCY”**

Stretch nodded and changed subjects in case Edge decided to try and give him the dreaded  _ talk.  _

“Mind if I try to heal some of it?” Stretch asked as he got down to get a better look at it. “Kind of feel like I owe ya as much since I probably didn't do you any favors earlier, by attacking you. I'm sorry for losing my cool like that”

**“IT'S FINE, IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S THAT CRAZY OF AN ASSUMPTION GIVEN THE FACT I AM THE ONE WHO PUT THAT CRACK ON HIS SKULL”** Edge said with a shrug. Stretch was about to argue with that statement, he knew how badly Red hated it when Edge started talking like that, but something else caught his eye before he could make his remark.

“Holy shit! It's cut clean through” Stretch gawked as gingerly examined Edge’s fibula and tibia. The fibula was in two pieces the  _ break  _ was clean and perfectly straight. Exactly like it had been cut through with a rather thick blade. There was a long smooth groove in Edge's tibia that was fairly deep . . . Strike that there were two similar grooves one on each side of the larger bone. “It almost looks like some kind of animal bit you”

**“YOU DON'T SAY”** Edge said with zero interest. Stretch looked up at him shock.

“Whatever this is it nearly took your leg off! How can you be so chill about it?” Stretch demanded before he started healing his tibia. “seriously what happened to you?”

Edge didn't answer. After a couple minutes of silence Stretch gave up and focused on healing. He gasped when he checked Edge’s HP 567/1285. This leg injury was bad but not 700 points of health bad. “Edge where else are you hurt”

**“DON'T WOR-”**

“Edge your HP is below half! I'm sure as hell worrying about it! Now where else are you hurt” Stretch snapped. Edge sighed but glanced over to living where his brother was sleeping. 

**“FINE, BUT CAN WE HEAD TO YOUR ROOM OR THE BATHROOM. RED FEELS BAD ENOUGH ABOUT MY LEG, THE LAST THING HE NEEDS IS TO WALK IN AND SEE THE REST OF IT”** Edge relented as he dragged himself to his feet. Stretch nodded and led the way to the bathroom, keeping an eye socket on Edge as they went. He didn't want the other collapsing or something. 

“Okay so where are you hurt” Stretch said locking the door behind them. Edge grunted and stripped off his jacket. Stretch stood there awkwardly silent as removed Edge his scarf and shirt. “ . . . . . How have you been walking around with your spine like that?”

Edge shrugged, making Stretch wince as the cracks in his spine clicked against each other softly, the sound audible now that it wasn't muffled by clothes. The lumbar and thoracic vertebrae were covered in fractures and hairline cracks.  **“MOST OF THEM ARE SCARS, SO IT'S NOT AS BAD AS IT LOOKS”**

Stretch shook head as he walked behind Edge and started healing the cracks. Edge hadn't been lying most of what he had thought were hairline cracks were the remainder of old wounds. Still it looked pretty bad the place where his ribs connected to his spine was broken in several places and fresh cracks ran from the thoracic vertebrae between his shoulder down to the lumbar region of his spine. 

“Did . . . Did  _ he _ give you all these scars?” Stretch asked as his finger slid over the uneven surface of the scarred bones. Part of him wondered if Red looked this bad.  _ Maybe he looks more like Blue.   _ He thought to himself. Blue had a good amount of scars, but nothing like this. 

**“NHEY, I'D SAY ABOUT EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THEM COME FROM HIM”** Edge said with a wicked smile.  **“** **_HE_ ** **NEVER COULD GET ME TO SHUT UP. AND BOY DID HE HATE IT WHEN I COULD FIND ONE OF** **_HIS_ ** **SCREW UPS”**

“Wait this sadistic bastard put you and Bro through hell for years and you thought it was good idea to piss him off?” Stretch asked incredulously. Edge chuckled, though he was slightly shocked that Red had told him about Gaster _. _

**“OF COURSE, THE MORE FOCUS HE PUT ON ME THE LESS HE PUT ON MY BROTHER. BEING THE DIFFICULTY ONE WAS THE ONLY WAY I COULD PROTECT HIM”** Edge said turning to look back at him.  **“I WAS NEVER SMART LIKE HE WAS, BUT I UNDERSTOOD PERFECTLY HOW HE THOUGHT AND EXACTLY WHAT BUTTONS TO PUSH TO GET THE REACTION  I WANTED OUT OF** **_HIM”_ **

Edge pulled away once his HP hit 900 and pulled his shirt back on and wrapped his scarf back around his neck. Now that Stretch knew why Red and Edge always kept themselves covered the way they did. You'd have never guessed the scars that laid under those clothes.  **“ANYWAY, I PROMISED BLUE WE WOULD FINISH THAT CHAPTER, THANKS FOR THE HELP”**


	21. The edgeberry is finally here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again no sin in this fic.

**“BLUE YOU STILL AWAKE?”** Edge asked as he entered the smaller skeleton’s room.

“Y-YUP, I’M A-AWAKE” Blue chirped sitting up happily. Edge smiled and sat down next to Blue.

 **“SO DO YOU WANT TO FINISH THE CHAPTER OF THAT PUZZLE BOOK OF YOURS?”** Edge asked reaching for the book. Blue started to nod, but then stopped and grabbed Edge's arm.

“FIRST I ACTUALLY WANTED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING” Blue said not looking at Edge.

 **“AND WHAT WAS IT YOU WANTED TO ASK”** Edge asked gently tilting Blue's head to look at him. Blue blushed bright blue as Edges thumb absentmindedly rubbing his cheek in light circles.

“W-WELL I O-OVER H-HEARD Y-YOU AND P-PAPY F-FIGHTING AND I-I W-WANTED T-TO KN-KNOW I-IF Y-YOU” Blue took in as deep as breath as he could and closed his eyes. “D-DO Y-YOU R-REALLY TH-THINK TH-THAT I'M D-DYING?”

Edge had already wanted to kick himself for having said that to Stretch and that was without knowing that Blue had heard him. He turned away from him slightly before answering. **“IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME RATHER YOU'RE DYING OR NOT”**

Blue's eyes snapped open tears on the verge of spilling from his sockets. _HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID OF COURSE HE WOULDN'T BE INTERESTED IN ME, BUT I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I MATTERED TO HIM A LITTLE._ Blue tried to pulled his face away but was trapped in place by Edge's other hand. “E-EDGE L-LET M-”

He was cut short as Edge pressed his teeth against his forehead. It was feather light and gentle, but completely froze Blue in place.

 **“IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME, BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DIE. I'LL MAKE A PACT WITH THE DEVIL, IF IT MEANS KEEPING YOU”** Edge said pulling Blue onto his lap and looking him in the eyes. **“YOU ARE FAR TOO PRECIOUS FOR ANYTHING LESS”**

 **“** E-EDGE, WH-WHAT A-ARE Y-YOU S-SAYING?” Blue asked in disbelief. Edge chuckled softly and brushed a hand down Blue's cheek.

 **“I GUESS I'M TRYING TO SAY THAT I LOVE YOU, BLUEBERRY”** Edge said smiling as Blue placed a tiny hand on his and turned nuzzled into the red glove.

“YOU'D SAY THAT EVEN AFTER I SAID SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS TO YOU?” Blue asked enjoying the softness of the fabric of the glove and the hand inside it.

 **“I'D HAVE PROBABLY DUSTED YOU IF I DIDN'T, I'M NOT GOING TO LIE”** Edge said moving his other hand to rub Blue's shoulders. **“HELL, I DON'T THINK I'D HAVE BOTHERED TO GET UNDYNE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IF YOU HADN'T ALREADY HAD ME WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGERS”**

Blue giggled, his whole face bright cyan. _HOW DOES EDGE SAY THINGS LIKE THAT SO EASILY!_ Blue thought in wonder as struggled to find his own words. “I-I L-LOVE Y-YOU T-TO” he barely choked out before burying his face in Edge's crimson shirt.

 **“BLUE, THERE'S NO NEED TO HIDE IT'S JUST THE TWO OF US,SO DON'T BE EMBARRASSED”** Edge said pulling Blue away slightly so he could see the little one's face. Blue looked up at Edge embarrassed despite his words. Edge smiled and leaned down and kissed the top of his skull again. **“I SHOULD PROBABLY LET YOU GET SOME REST, THOUGH SHOULDN'T I?”**

He didn't want to go, but Blue needed his rest. He moved to get up but Blue gripped his arm and refused to let go. “C-COULD Y-YOU S-STAY H-HERE? A-AT L-LEAST T-TILL I F-FALL A-ASLEEP?”

Edge chuckled and shifted around so they were both lying down on the bed. **“I'LL STAY AS LONG AS YOU WANT, BUT YOU HAVE TO GO TO SLEEP”** Edge promised his hands working in small circles on Blue's shoulders and spine. Blue relax in the other's hands and nuzzled closer to Edge.

“D-DON'T G-GO” He mumbled already falling asleep again. But he stayed awake long enough to hear Edge's response.

 **“I'LL BE RIGHT HERE WHEN YOU WAKE UP”** Edge whispered as the little one finally fell asleep. He waited till Blue was completely out before he slipped out of bed. He headed back downstairs and found the other two watching TV.

“How's Blue” Stretch asked as Edge came into view.

 **“HE'S FINE I'M JUST CHANGING INTO SOME CLEAN CLOTHES”** Edge said before slipping into the basement. He slipped into a clean pair of pants and pulled on a turtleneck of his own, so he could leave the scarf down here. He didn't want to risk Blue getting tangled in it like Red had. Once that was done he slipped back up to Blue's room. Neither Red or Stretch seemed to think anything of it, either that or didn't think of any snarky remarks before Edge was gone.

Blue was still asleep as Edge snuck back in. He smiled when he noticed Blue's hand outstretched looking for him. He smiled before sliding back in, exactly like before. In his sleep Blue gripped the front of Edge's shirt, almost like he was trying to prevent Edge's leaving again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stretch was pacing in living with his arms crossed. To say he was mad would be understatement, he'd gone to check on Blue this morning and found Edge asleep in his brother's bed. Realistically he knew Edge hadn't done anything to Blue, but he was still furious. Edge could have said something last night, like when he confronted him about dating Red, or when he came down and changed!

 **“Whoa what's got you going this morning”** Red asked as he came up stairs. He walked over to Stretch and towed him to couch.

“Your brother spent the night in my brother's room” he said sitting down next Red.

 **“So it's not my Bro would try ‘jumping his bones’ right now. Besides it's been fairly obvious that Blue has had crush on him for a while now”** Red pointed out, thinking of all times the little one blushed like a neon sign around Edge. **“I'm sure it made his night and will make his morning if my Bro is still there”**

“It’s just that he confronted me about dating you, and he didn't say a word about him and Blue” Stretch said glaring at Blue's door.

 **“Aren't those roles a little reversed? Shouldn't it be me and Blue confronting each other, since we are the older siblings”** Red asked with a chuckled and Stretch rolled his eyelights.

“Blue's already so sick, I just don't want anything to make it worse for him” Stretch sighed and Red scooted closer and wrapped an arm around him.

**“Dude, my Bro would do anything for him. The fact he's still alive proves that”**

“What's that supposed to mean” Stretch said looking down at Red.

 **“that thing he said that made my Bro disappear for so long. He said my Bro was like** **_him_** **. I'd have killed him for it, but he didn't”** Red said looking down at the floor a bit of anger creeping into his face. **“it was already a sore spot for him”**

“that's what he meant by wondering how far off the mark he was” Stretch said quietly and Red nodded.

Before they could say anymore Blue's door opened and Edge walked out with Blue in his arms. Blue beamed at Stretch with starry eyes, something that Stretch hadn't seen in awhile. Red nudge Stretch and gave a look that practically oozed ‘I told ya so’.

“M-MORNING P-PAPY, R-RED!” Blue called as Edge carried him down the stairs. Edge put Blue down on the couch by Red before turning to Stretch.

 **“HEY STRETCH MIND HELPING ME IN THE KITCHEN?”** Edge asked heading for the kitchen. Stretch followed behind him wordlessly. Once they hit the kitchen Edge turned around faced Stretch. **“I SUPPOSE YOU WANT TO GIVE ME THE SAME LECTURE I GAVE YOU LAST NIGHT?”**

“Well yeah, why the hell didn't you say anything last night” Stretch said glaring at him with folded arms.

 **“BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANYTHING TO SAY AT THE TIME. HE LITERALLY ASKED RIGHT AFTER WE HAD TALKED”** Edge answered before turning and grabbing some food out of the fridge to make breakfast.

“And when you came down after that?”

 **“YOU ACT LIKE YOU CAME RIGHT OUT AND TOLD ME YOU WERE DATING MY BROTHER”** Edge pointed out as he pulled out a skillet and put it on the stove.  Stretch opened his mouth but then closed it again. Edge had him beat. **“ANYWAY IF YOU HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY WHY DON'T YOU GO ENTERTAIN OUR BROTHERS”**

Stretch nodded and left for the living room. Blue beamed up at him brightly. “RED JUST TOLD ME YOU TWO ARE AN ITEM! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!”

“Sorry, Bro. It hasn't been my main priority” Stretch said sitting on the floor in front of him.

“H-HAVEN'T Y-YOU T-TWO B-BEEN O-ON A D-DATE Y-YET?” Blue asked looking between the two.

“no, Blue we haven't ye-”

“P-PAPY! TH-THAT'S N-NOT R-RIGHT! Y-YOU SH-SHOULD T-TAKE R-RED O-OUT IF Y-YOU'RE G-GOING T-TO A-ASK H-HIM T-TO D-DATE Y-YOU!” Blue said cutting Stretch off.

“You've been sick Blue. I can't exactly just go out and leave you” Stretch pointed out but Blue was shaking his head.

“P-PAPY, TH-THAT'S N-NOT A G-GOOD R-REASON! E-EDGE C-CAN ST-STAY H-HERE AND L-LOOK A-AFTER M-ME, B-BESIDES I'M S-SURE Y-YOU C-COULD U-USE TH-THE B-BREAK” Blue said giving Stretch a pouty look, while Red tried not to burst out laughing at Blue's not so subtle attempt at getting him and Stretch out of the house.

 **“he's got a point Stretch. He'd be perfectly fine with my Bro here watching him”** Red said deciding to try and help Blue out and partially curious about what Stretch would do for a date. **“You know he'd call ya if anything happened”**

Stretch pulled on the hem of hoodie as he thought. After a minute he sighed but agreed to leave, with bountiful approval from the two Sans. He and Red agreed to leave an hour or so after breakfast. Stretch was still worrying when it came time to leave.

“You sure you're okay bro” Stretch asked for what must have been the hundredth time in the last hour.

“Y-YES P-PAPY, I'M FEELING B-BETTER THAN I DID Y-YESTERDAY” Blue said rolling his eyes. He was sitting in the kitchen with Edge. He'd even been able to help the other cook! He'd only been able to help cut up some soft vegetables, but it still made him smile. Edge hadn't taken an eyelight off him the whole time he'd had the knife in hand, but Blue was careful and surprisingly admitted when he was too worn out to keep doing it.

“Alright, Bro, I'm a phone call away if ya need me for anything” Stretch said as Blue hopped down from the chair clutching Edge's hands so he didn't fall over.

“I KN-KNOW PAPY! I'LL BE F-FINE” He said as the three off them walked into the living room. Red was lounging on the couch in his jacket and a red turtleneck. It was relatively wrinkle free, so Red counted it as _dressing_ up for the date.

 **“you ready to go Stretch?”** Red asked sitting up as the trio entered the room. If Stretch were to answer Red's question honestly he'd say ‘Hell no’ and stay by Blue all day, but all three skeletons wanted him out so he nodded and followed Red to the front door.

 **“HEY, ASH-TRASH. TRY AND HAVE A FUN TIME WHILE YOU'RE OUT. I SWEAR I'LL TAKE CARE OF BLUE”** Edge said as Blue got down on his knees to look for a movie to watch. Stretch nodded smiling at the return of insulting nickname.

“All right I'll try Edge-Lord” he called over his shoulder, comforted by knowing that Blue was feeling better today. There wasn't a force out there that could have gotten him out of the house otherwise. He closed the door behind as they left.

 **“OKAY, THEY ARE GONE NOW, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT”** Edge asked looking down at Blue, who had slumped face first to the floor as soon as his brother had left. Edge picked up the exhausted little skeleton and carried him up to his bedroom. **“I THINK YOU OVERDID IT WITH THE ACTING”**


	22. And they still can't talk things out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not getting many chapters out this week. Spring break starts tomorrow and I've had a lot of homework. (But not anymore!)

“I H-HAD T-TO” Blue whimpered weakly nuzzling into Edge. “H-HE W-WOULDN’T H-HAVE L-LEFT, I-IF H-HE W-WASN'T C-CONVINCED TH-THAT I W-WAS F-FEELING B-BETTER”

**“HE'S GOING TO KILL ME IF HE FINDS OUT I KNEW YOU WERE ACTING”** Edge said as he sat Blue down on the bed. Blue whined and pulled Edge down next to him.  **“WHY DON'T YOU REST FOR A BIT? YOU LOOK EXHAUSTED”**

“B-BUT I N-NEED T-TO T-TALK T-TO Y-YOU” Blue said sleep already dragging at his voice. 

**“OUR BROTHERS WILL BE GONE FOR SOME TIME. YOU CAN SLEEP FOR AN HOUR. I'LL WAKE YOU UP”** Edge said gently coaxing Blue to sleep. A frown curved Edge’s mouth down as he noticed the light blue flush didn't go away as he slept. This was going to be one of the longest hours of Edge's life. Blue’s breaths were uneven and a tab shallow, making Edge nervous as hell. He slipped down stairs and grabbed both the medicine and some herbs in case Blue stopped breathing again. 

 

“E-EDGE?” Blue asked as he was he was shaken awake. It took a second for his blue eyelights to form, but they brighten noticeably as he found Edge sitting on the bed.

**“IT'S BEEN AN HOUR, BLUEBERRY”** Edge said as Blue sat up. Blue stared at him confused for a couple moments before he remembered Edge's promise to wake him up so they could talk. 

“O-OH TH-THANKS E-EDGE” Blue stammered before looking down at the bed sheets and running his boney fingers over a wrinkle nervously. “E-EDGE I UM . . . I W-WANTED T-TO A-ASK Y-YOU A F-FAVOR”

**“WHAT IS IT YOU WANTED?”** Edge asked looking at Blue with curious eyelights.  **“AND WHY DID STRETCH HAVE TO BE OUT OF THE HOUSE”**

“I D-DIDN'T W-WANT T-TO R- RISK P-PAPY O- OVER H-HEARING A-ANY OF TH-THIS” Blue answered hands clenching down on the blankets. “I W-WANT Y-YOU T-TO H-HELP M-ME . . . I . . . I W-WANT U-UNDYNE T-TO . . . T-TO P-PULL TH-THE M-MARROW S-SAMPLE. . . B-BUT I. . . I'M N-NOT B-BRAVE E-ENOUGH . . . I W-WILL CH-CHICKEN OUT SO I WANT YOU TO. . .”

**“YOU WANT ME TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T RUN AWAY?”** Edge asked gently tilting his head up, waiting till the other was looking him the eyelights before he continued.  **“IF YOU'RE SURE THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT, THEN I'LL DO IT”**

“N-NO M-MATTER WH-WHAT I S-SAY O-ONCE W-WE G-GET TH-THERE? Y-YOU P-PROMISE Y-YOU W-WON'T L-LET M-ME B-BACK D-DOWN?” Blue asked breaking his gaze with Edge so he could cuddle closer to the dark skeleton.

**“I SWEAR BLUE, I WON'T LET YOU RUN AWAY OR BACK OUT, AND YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE ALONE I'LL STAY THERE THE WHOLE TIME IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT”** Edge said rubbing Blue's back. The smaller skeleton was shaking and Edge desperately want to calm him. 

“I W-WANT  _ Y-YOU  _ TH-THERE. . . B-BUT N-NOT P-PAPY. . . I . . . I C-CAN'T D-DO IT. . . N-NOT IF H-HE IS TH-THERE. . . I C-CAN'T H-HAVE M-MY B-BABY B-BROTHER TH-THERE” Blue clutched Edge's shirt his breathing was bordering on turning into sobs. “I D-DON'T W-WANT. . . H-HE C-CAN'T S-SEE M-ME F-FALL A-APART L-LIKE TH-THAT. . . W-WE N-NEED T-TO M-MAKE S-SURE H-HE I-ISN'T TH-THERE”

**“WHY DON'T YOU JUST ASK HIM TO STAY BEHIND”** Edge said but Blue started shaking his head and looked up him. 

“P-PAPY W-WOULD N-NEVER A-AGREE T-TO S-STAY B-BEHIND” Blue pointed out. Edge sighed and ran a thumb over Blue's face, wiping away the single tear falling down his cheek, with an ungloved hand. 

**“BLUE, HE'S AT HIS WITS END TRYING TO HELP YOU, AND YOU'RE PLANNING TO SNEAK OUT BEHIND HIS BACK? WHILE ME AND STRETCH ARE DIFFERENT IN A LOT OF WAYS; I'M WILLING TO BET HE WOULDN'T FORGIVE THAT ANY MORE THAN I WOULD”** Edge tried to warn Blue. 

“E-EDGE TH-THERE'S N-NO W-WAY I C-CAN D-DO I-IT IF H-HE'S TH-THERE! I C-CAN'T. . . I J-JUST C-CAN'T” he started full on crying and buried his face in Edge's chest. “I KN-KNOW I-IT'S N-NOT F-FAIR . . . I-IT'S N-NOT F-AIR T-TO E-EITHER O-OF Y-YOU. . . I SH-SHOULDN'T B-BE A-ASKING TH-THIS O-OF Y-YOU. . . I A-AM S-SORRY . . . S-SORRY I'M N-”

**“BLUE, STOP IT. IT'S FINE THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT ALONE. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT SO PLEASE CALM DOWN”** Edge said trying to calm Blue down. Blue's fragile bones were clattering against each other as he shook with each sob. **“BLUE PLEASE YOU'RE GOING TO HURT YOURSELF IF YOU DON'T! JUST BREATHE AND TRY TO RELAX”**

Blue tried to listen to Edge he really did, but he couldn't. He just couldn't pull everything back in. Edge kept trying to talk Blue down until, that is he felt something dust like fall into his hands. It was a little too gritty to the dust that came with death, but it still froze his soul. Blue was shaking so hard and his bones had become so frail that they were chipping themselves away every time they clicked together. The little bone chips were barely bigger than a grain of sand as they fell away from his joints. 

**“BLUE!”** Edge reached behind him and grabbed the herbs from behind him and dissolved them in gold magic. The gold magic flickered not being entirely able to overtake the red magic. Edge just hoped it would be enough. Blue shudder with a small whine fading off as he went limp in Edge's arms.  **“DAMNIT BLUE”** Edge growled softly slouching down onto the bed. He kept Blue curled up on top of his chest, as he winced. His soul was throbbing painfully. He'd used more of that gold magic in last twenty-four hours, than he had since he and Red fled Gaster’s lab. The drained gold magic felt like a small was had been torn from his soul. His eyes drifted shut and he passed out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stretch and Red somehow ended up at Muffet’s for date. Stretch’s original plan had been to take Red to the NTT Restaurant in Hotlands, but Red hadn't liked it there said it reminded him a little too much of a twisted monster back in his time named Mettaton. So they now sat at Muffet’s sipping on condiment bottles.

**“I can believe you drink that shit straight”** Red said eyeing the honey bottle in Stretch’s hand.

“that's coming from the guy who is drinking straight mustard” Stretch said rolling his eyes. Muffet had promised to only give them a couple of bottles since they couldn't afford to get drunk. Red was already on his second, but Stretch was just taking little sips from his first.

**“you should mustard the courage and try it”** Red said making Stretch groan and shake his head. 

“Not happening” Stretch said before pulling out his phone. Still no text from Blue or Edge for that matter. That was bugging him a little, they'd been gone for a couple hours now and he'd expected one of them to have texted by now. If only to ask if he and Red were going to be home for dinner or get dinner on the date. 

**“Stretch I'm sure they're fine”** Red said putting a hand on Stretch’s. He was a little put out that Stretch kept worrying about Blue, but couldn't say he wouldn't be the same way of it was his brother, Hell he was even worried for the little guy. 

“Sorry, just seems weird that we haven't heard anything from them” Stretch said taking another sip from his bottle. 

**“I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. It's only five o’clock. . .”** Red talked off as he noticed the time. No wonder Stretch was worried they should have heard from Edge by now.  **“Um, think we should head home?”**

“Yeah, let's head back” Stretch said putting some gold down for the bottles and practically dragged Red out of Muffet’s in his haste to get back.

**“whoa slow down Stretch I don't have mile long legs like you”** Red said as he stumbled trying to keep up. Stretch slowed his pace for a second before grabbing Red and carrying him back to the house. Red was shocked to find out that Stretch was almost as fast as his brother. 

“Blue . . . Edge? We're back” Stretch called as they came through the door. When he didn't get a response he headed for Blue's room. Red squirmed slightly still in Stretch’s grip as the taller skeleton hurried up the stairs. “Blue? Edge?”

**“WILL YOU QUIT YELLING”** Edge snapped as Stretch opened the door. Edge was lying in Blue's bed, with the small skeleton cuddled up against his side. Edge had propped himself up as much as he could without disturbing Blue.  **“WHO HAS LIT THE GODDAMN FIRE UNDER YOUR ASS”**

Stretch was about to cuss him out, but Edge went completely rigid one hand clawed at his shirt. Red jumped out Stretch’s arms and hurried over to his brother.

**“Paps what's wrong”** Red said looking over Edge for any sign that he was hurt. 

**“NOTHING BROTHER”** Edge said slightly breathless and trying to calm Red down.  **“JUST OVERUSED SOME MAGIC, THAT'S ALL”**

**“Wait, why were you even using that magic?”** Red growled as Edge carefully slipped out from under Blue. 

**“BECAUSE BLUE WAS GIVING HIMSELF A PANIC ATTACK AND IT WAS STARTING TO HURT HIM”** Edge answered and he got to his feet. He turned to make sure Blue was still asleep before turning to Stretch.  **“WE NEED TO TALK”**

Stretch nodded and led the way downstairs. Edge didn't stop till they were in the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, but didn't say anything. “So what did you want to talk about”

**“BLUE WANTS TO LET UNDYNE TAKE THE MARROW SAMPLE, BUT”** Edge looked down sucking in a deep breath.  **“HE WON'T DO IT IF YOU ARE THERE”**

“what?!” Stretch said a tab bit louder than he meant to. “why. . . Why would he . . . What makes you say that?”

**“HE TOLD ME AS MUCH. HE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE HIM LIKE THAT. HE KNOWS HE'S PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE A MELTDOWN AND DOESN'T WANT HIS LITTLE BROTHER TO BE THERE FOR IT”** Edge explained not looking Stretch in the face.  **“I TRIED TO REASON WITH HIM ON IT, BUT HE BROKE DOWN SOBBING AND HIS BONES STARTED CHIPPING. I HAD TO KNOCK HIM OUT BEFORE IT DID ANY REAL DAMAGE TO HIM. STRETCH HE WANTED ME TO HELP HIM SNEAK OUT”**

Stretch just stared at the floor, making Edge wonder if he had heard a word he'd just said.  **“I WASN'T SUPPOSE TO TELL YOU ANY OF THIS, AND BLUE WON'T DO THIS IF HE THINKS YOU'RE GOING TO INSIST ON BEING THERE. I AM SURE YOU WANT TO BE THERE, SO I THOUGHT OF COMPROMISE YOU BOTH HOPEFULLY COULD AGREE TO?”**

Stretch’s head snapped up and looked at Edge with misplaced anger. “And what compromise could there possibly be!”

**“YOU GET TO COME WITH US TO HOTLANDS, BUT LEAVE BEFORE UNDYNE STARTS ANYTHING”** Edge answered calmly.  **“YOU AND RED GO OFF AND DO SOMETHING UNTIL IT'S DONE, THEN I'LL CALL YOU AND WE CAN HEAD HOME AS GROUP”**

Stretch clenched his teeth together, and glared at Edge. “Not happening! I'm not just going to run off and leave my Bro to go through something like that!”

**“HE'S DYING, STRETCH! DO YOU REALLY THINK WE HAVE TIME TO TALK HIM OUT OF THIS?”** Edge snapped slamming his hand on the counter. **“ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO LET HIM DIE OVER THIS?!”**


	23. Deeds or words pick your poison

Red was sitting on Blue's bed trembling slightly as the little blue skeleton came around. “R-RED? WH-WHERE I-IS E-EDGE? . . . A-AND P-PAPY” He asked struggling to sit up. All of his joints hurt. They felt raw and uneven and caught against each other as he moved.

**“downstairs in a screaming match wi-”**

_Crash!_

**“I was wondering how long till they broke something”** Red muttered wincing at the commotion going on downstairs. Blue gasped and moved to climb out of the bed, but Red stopped him. **“You don't want to go down there right now. Stretch is pissed off and sure as hell not thinking straight”**

“WH-WHAT'S W-WRONG? WH-WHY A-ARE TH-THEY F-FIGHTING?” Blue whimpered. Red sighed and looked at the floor before answering.

 **“my Bro told Stretch about your condition for letting Undyne take that marrow sample and Stretch . . . He . . . He hit his breaking point”** Red pulled his knees up to his chest. **“He straight out attacked my brother and I nearly got hit trying to break up the fight”**

“H-HE T-TOLD P-PAPY!” Blue squeaked in shock and feeling betrayed. He'd trusted Edge not to tell anyone especially Stretch.

 **“yeah, he didn't want Stretch to hate him and wanted to give him the chance to compromise”** Red said both of them flinched as what sounded like a blaster went off. **“but don't worry Blue, Edge will knock Stretch out and take you if he won't see reason on this. And honestly I'm pretty sure this fight has only lasted as long as it has because my Bro is letting Stretch work off some stream”**

“H-HOW L-LONG H-HAS TH-THIS B-BEEN G-GOING O-ON?” Blue asked lying back down. It hurt too much to say up like that. Red looked at the clock and shuddered.

 **“awhile now”** Red admitted.

_BANG!_

Both skeletons jumped. The whole house seemed to shake with that one.

 **“ENOUGH! I'M DONE PLAYING THIS GODDAMN GAME!”** Edge yelled.

 **“shit”** Red jumped off the bed and ran to make sure they weren't going to kill each other. He made it to the top of the stairs when he saw Stretch pinned against the wall with red magic. Edge was standing a few feet back glaring at the hoodie wearing skeleton. The living room was a complete disaster. The coffee table was busted into a hundred little pieces, the couch was knocked over, and the scorch mark on the wall confirmed that someone had indeed used a blaster.

 **“YOU DON'T WANT TO PUSH ME MUCH FARTHER OR ELSE BLUE IS GOING TO BE SPREADING YOUR DUST”** Edge growled. Even from here Red could tell his eyes were darker than normal, not as dark as when he'd lost it and attacked Red, but still not a good sign.

 **“Boss! Calm down!”** He cried and made it five steps down before a wall of bones sprung up in front of him. He skidded to a stop just before he could crash into them.

 **“SANS I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF THIS”** Edge growled not taking his eyes off Stretch; who was wearing a dazed almost blank sort of look. The wall behind him had long fissures where Stretch had been slammed against it.

 **“Paps, please you need to cool it. I don't think Stretch will keep fighting now”** Red honestly doubted that Stretch _could_ keep fighting now. Edge huffed but the red magic disappeared and Stretch fell too disoriented to even catch himself. He just clattered to floor in a motionless lump.

“P-PAPY!” Blue screamed making both the fell brothers jump. The little skeleton started for his brother on shaky legs. Red had to catch Blue when he nearly fell. “R-RED, P-PLEASE. H-HELP P-PAPY IS H-HURT!”

 **“Alright, Alright just hang on, we'll get ya down there”** Red said before turning to Edge. **“Hey Boss wanna he- . . . Boss? You okay?”**

 **“I . . . I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT HIM. . . I . . . DIDN'T MEAN. . . TO”** Edge said sounding hollow as he took a hesitant step towards Stretch. **“I JUST WAN-”**

“S-STAY A-AWAY F-FROM H-HIM!” Blue yelled freezing Edge in place. “S-STAY A-AWAY F-FROM M-MY B-BROTHER! Y-YOU H-HURT H-HIM! G-GET A-AWAY F-FROM H-HIM! N-NOW!”

 **“BLUE . . . I . . . AM . . . SO SORRY”** Edge closed his eyes and stepped away from the rest of the skeletons. A small tremble ran down his body. 

“S-SORRY! Y-YOU C-CAUSED TH-THIS!  IF Y-YOU H-HAD K-KEPT Y-YOUR P-PROMISE N-NONE OF TH-THIS W-WOULD'VE H-HAPPENED! Y-YOU L-LIED T-TO M-ME! A-AND Y-YOU H-HURT P-PAPY!”

 **“I . . . SORRY”** Edge said another tremor running down his spine and muttered something under his breath.

“WH-WHAT IS WR-WRONG W-WITH Y-YOU?! H-HOW C-COULD Y-YOU H-HURT M-MY B-BROTHER?!” Blue yelled glaring at Edge. Red nearly shoved the little guy into the wall.

 **“** **_Your_ ** **brother started it! So don't yell at mi-”**

 **“SHUT THE HELL UP! I'M SICK OF HEARING YOUR SHIT!”** Edge practically screamed curling in on himself. The tips of his finger bones digging into his skull and leaving deep grooves as he dragged them down.

 **“B-boss?”** Red's eyes went wide before teleporting himself and Blue to the bottom of the stairs. Blue dropped down by Stretch, unable to stay on his feet any longer, but his eyes stayed locked on Edge. The anger in his eyes had changed to shock from Edge's sudden outburst. **“Paps, what are you doing?”** Red stepped towards his brother. **“you're hurting yourself”**

 **“STAY AWAY FROM ME!”** Edge shrieked backing further away from the others. Red shook his head and tried to follow his brother's retreat but suddenly a red bone sprung up from the floor. It struck Red right through the chest pinning him in red magic. He shuddered slightly, if he moved he was dust. **“JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME”**

 **“Papyrus! wait!”** Red cried as his brother fled from the house. His brother had just come home! He didn't want him running away again. He seriously considered finding out if teleporting counted as moving, but in the end he wasn't brave enough to find out. A few short minutes later and the bone dissolved, but those precious minutes were ample time for Edge to disappear again. Red fell to his knees and glared at Blue. **“I hope you're happy. You've run my Bro off twice now”**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edge ran straight into the woods, mind too scattered to even remember his camouflage. The only thought he could think was get as much space between himself and everyone else as possible.

**_What Did I Tell You?_ **

**“I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU SHUT UP!”** Edge growled trying not to sound desperate. The other voice just started laughing at him. **“I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I JUST WANTED HIM TO STOP”**

**HA! That's The Best Joke Yet. You Wanted To Hurt Him. Once He Struck You In That Bad Leg You Wanted Him Dusted.**

Edge shook his head as the voice pulled up the memory of what happened in the living room. How hard Edge was trying to hold back his attacks. The way Stretch had summoned a bone up from the ground and nailed his busted fibula. How all his efforts to hold back went up in smoke the second that attack landed.  Stretch was strong for this world, but 120 HP wasn't much. Edge could kill him in two hits, one if it landed cleanly and in the right spot.

**You Wanted It To Hit Him In The Right Spot. You Wanted Him Gone.**

**“NO YOU'RE WRONG! I NEVER WANTED TO HURT HIM!”** Edge yelled falling from a run straight to his knees.

**But Of Course We Knew It Was Going To Happen. What Else Can Happen When You Keep Playing With A Weapon?**

**“I'M NOT A WEAPON! I'M NOT!”** Edge curled in on himself his face getting buried in the snow.

 **Oh, But You Are, And This Fruitless Idea Of Being Anything More Than That,  Is Why You've Hurt Your ‘** **_Brother’_ ** **And Why You Hurt Stretch. It Was Only A Matter Of Time Until You Went Off And Hurt Somebody And It Won't Be Long Until You Break Again And Hurt Your Beloved Little Blue.**

 **“NO! I'D NEVER HURT BLUE! I COULDN'T”** Edge screamed trying to make himself as small as possible hoping to get away from the voice in his head.

 **You Said The Same Thing About Your** **_‘Brother’_ ** **And Look At Him Now. You Scarred His Face And For What? Because You Lost Your Temper? Maybe You Were Provoked But That Doesn’t Really Justify What You Did, Now Does It?**

 **“STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!”** Edge begged, but the voice had no mercy. It dragged up all the memories Edge tried to forget, tried to keep shoved away in the darkest part of his mind. Every cruel jab at his brother that had definitely gone too far, every time he'd fired an attack at Red and having to change direction last second so it wouldn't hit his brother, that night on the top of the stairs, and that time in the clearing back in his own universe when he'd hunted his own brother.

**You Sure You Want To Deny Being A Weapon? Otherwise What Excuse Do You Have For All The Pain You've Caused?**

**“STOP IT!”** Edge screamed trembling as the voice dragged up more memories. Blue crying and begging for Edge to let him go, as Undyne examined him. Stretch’s dazed expression just before slumping to floor. **“STOP IT! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!”**

**Oh But I Find This Amusing. I Mean Think Of All The Ways This Could End. How Long Until You Kill One Of Them?**

Edge whimpered as images of the others broken and dusting was forced into his head. He could hear Blue sobs crying both because he'd lost his brother and because Edge had killed and betrayed him. The sobs echoed in his head over and over again, till he was sure he'd go crazy; then suddenly it changed to Red with a bone stuck through him, his usual smirk gone whipped away as he gave up on his brother coming back to him. The hopelessness and defeat in Red's eyelights hurt so badly he was sure his soul had actually just shattered in his chest.

 **“STOP! STOP IT! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS! STOP IT!”** Edge howled his hands scratched at his skull trying desperately to claw out the images that voice was branding into his memory. He shuddered as the images started to become saturated with tints of the burning bloodlust that came with exp hunting. The thrill of the hunt. He wanted to hunt them wanted nothing more than to dust them and let his LV go up.

 **“ENOUGH! THIS ISN'T ME! I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS!”** Edge was practically begging at this point. He was beginning to think this would never end. Every time one image left another one promptly replaced it and with new image it started feeling more and more real. He could feel the dust of the ones he loved weighting on his clothes like lead, feel the way their dust caught on the joints of his boney hands, and with each new image he could feel himself slipping farther and farther away from himself.

 **STOP IT! PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU! STOP IT”** Edge shrieked with every fiber of his being. **“MAKE IT STOP I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST MAKE IT STOP!”**


	24. Let's go for a walk

Luckily the snow wasn't falling tonight, so the small skeleton wasn't in too much of a haste as he followed Edge's tracks. It was worrying that the he hadn't even bothered hiding his tracks. It seemed so unlike the totally stealthy skeleton. The small skeleton skeleton sucked in a ragged and pained breath before pushing onwards leaning heavily onto a summoned bone crutch.

“E-E-EDGE H-HOW F-F-FAR D-DID Y-Y-YOU G-GO” Blue mumbled to himself as he struggled through the snow. He snuggled deeper into his coat trying to avoid the unbelievable chill in the air. His thoughts drifted to why he was out here looking for Edge. 

Red had been absolutely furious with both him and Stretch. Blue had been forced to beg him for thirty minutes for Red to heal Stretch and he only caved because after thirty minutes Blue tried healing Stretch himself.

Red had snarled at Blue whenever he got closer than was strictly necessary and after Red yelling at him about how lucky he was that Edge had held himself back because killing Stretch was something Edge could have done by accident and how cruel and unfair Blue had been, he had decided to go looking for Edge. 

He'd snuck out while Red was down in his room and Stretch was still passed out. Blue's soul fluttered in fear. He really hoped Stretch wasn't hurt too badly. He was still mad at Edge, but Red had some valid points. Blue had put Edge in a difficult position and it wasn't hard to tell the Stretch was about at his limit. If Stretch hadn't attacked Edge today for this argument he'd have tried to kill Edge for helping Blue sneak out. Blue hadn't even thought of what Stretch would do to Edge, but he certainly wouldn't have expected violence to be the answer Stretch went to. He sighed and looked down at the tracks in the snow. How long did he have till Red noticed he'd left? Would Red even care? 

**“PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU! STOP IT”** Blue's head snapped up. _THAT WAS EDGE'S VOICE!_ Blue realized in horror. He tried to hurry towards the direction he thought Edge was in, he hoped he was close. **“MAKE IT STOP I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST MAKE IT STOP!”**

“E-E-EDGE!” Blue yelled as loud as he could. Edge didn't seem like the type to beg, so something was definitely wrong.  _ Was someone hurting him?  _ He hurried up a little, but was still careful about the snow covered ground. He doubted that he could get back up if he tripped and fell. “E-E-EDGE! P-PL-PLEASE A-ANSWER M-M-ME!”

Blue's call was met with silence for one long terrifying second everything seemed everything seemed frozen. “E-EDGE! P-PL-PLEASE!” He cried just to break that suffocating quiet, but he didn't hear anymore from Edge. He keep calling out hoping Edge would answer again and praying he was heading the right way. “E-EDGE!”

He got answered this time and it was enough to make him wish he hadn't got one. He heard Edge's voice but it was contorted into something between a sob and scream. He was definitely heading in the right direction. In fact he could hear Edge more now. He was begging and screaming, pleading with someone to ‘stop it’ over and over again, but Blue didn't hear the other person.

“E-EDGE! E-EDGE, H-H-HANG O-ON!” Blue yelled but he was so worried what was happening to Edge that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. “E-EDGE! P-PL-PLEASE I-I’M A-AL-ALMOST TH-THER--AHHHHHHH”

He cut short as he tripped face first into the snow. His own scream was slightly muffled by the snow but still loud enough to be ringing in his skull. That hurt! It hurt so bad! Blue whimpered and sobbed. He stayed as still as his sobs allowed, any sort of movement made it so much worse. There was no way he could get up, he couldn't even roll over so he could breathe easier. “E-EDGE! P-PL-PLEASE” He sobbed, praying that Edge would get away from whoever was hurting him and save him.  _ But why would he? This is twice now that I've hurt him. _

“E-E-EDGE! P-PL-PLEASE” Blue cried out weakly, and before falling into wordless sobs. They shook his whole body and he could feel where his bones were chipping again. He screamed begging for Edge or anyone to find him. He cried out one last time, closing his eyes in defeat. “E-E-EDGE! P-PLEASE H-HELP M-ME!”

. . . .

. . . .

but nobody ca-

Something feather light and gentle pulled him from the snow. His eyes shot open, but his face was buried in a dark shirt, a very familiar dark shirt. 

**“BLUE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?”** Edge didn't really sound concerned, but he didn't sound mad either. Blue pulled away from his shirt to look up at Edge. His eyelight were out and his skull was littered with scratches, some of them deep enough that marrow was flowing out of them. Blue couldn't even fathom the expression on Edge's face. The closest thing he could think of were those dead skulls of humans that used to sit in  _ his  _ lab; Edge looked just as lifeless as those skulls. 

“E-E-EDGE WH-WHAT H-HAPPENED T-TO Y-YOU”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edge flinched at the question, but offered no answer. Blue looked up at him with concern as Edge started walking back towards the house. It was a disturbing walk through the woods. Edge said nothing the entire time and while his gant was still smooth, there was something robotic about how he moved. 

“E-EDGE W-WAIT” Blue whimpered reaching up and patting his face. Again Edge cringed away from him. Blue could feel tears forming in his eyes. 

**“WHAT IS IT BLUE?”** Edge asked slowing his pace but not stopping. Blue blinked his eyes and couple times before wrapping one hand in Edge's scarf.

“I-IF I A-ASKED Y-Y-YOU T-TO T-TELL M-ME WH-WHAT I-IS B-B-BOTHERING Y-YOU, W-WOULD Y-YOU?” Blue asked with pleading eyes. Edge sighed and looked away from Blue. After a few moments of silence the tears ran down Blue's cheeks. “I-I A-AM S-SO S-S-SORRY! I N-NEVER M-MEANT T-T-TO P-PUT Y-YOU I-INTO TH-THA-MPH” Blue was cut off by Edge's hand covering his mouth. 

**“BLUE YOU ZERO REASON TO BE APOLOGIZING TO ME”** Edge said hint of frustration creeping into his voice.  **“YOU DIDN'T NEARLY KILL STRETCH. THAT WAS ME, SO WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU SORRY FOR? YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.”**

“B-BUT I Y-Y-YELLED A-AT Y-YOU A-AND M-MADE R-R-RUN Y-YOU O-OFF A-AG-AGAIN” Blue said pushing Edge's hand away. Edge shook his head, his sharp teeth clenched tightly against each other for a second before he spoke.

**“I HURT YOUR BROTHER, I'VE DUSTED MONSTERS FOR DOING LESS TO RED, YELLING AT ME WAS WELL WITHIN YOUR RIGHTS”** Edge growled. Blue was almost relieved to see him getting angry, it was better than the expressionless look he had on before.  **“AND** **_DO NOT_ ** **TELL YOURSELF MY RUNNING OUT OF THERE WAS YOUR FAULT. BECAUSE IT WASN'T, NOT EVEN CLOSE”**

“TH-THEN WH- WHY D-DID Y-YOU R-RUN” Blue asked not believing him. Edge stopped and examined a low hanging branch. Blue could could see Edge was struggling to find his words. 

**“I RAN BECAUSE . . . I HAD JUST HURT STRETCH . . . I . . . I WASN'T AS COMPOSED AS I** **_HAVE_ ** **TO BE. I LOST MY TEMPER AND STRETCH GOT HURT. . . I COULDN'T STAY THERE . . . I COULD HAVE . . . YOU AND MY BROTHER COULDN'T AFFORD FOR ME TO LOSE IT . . . I'D HAVE KILLED YOU IF THAT HAPPENED”** Edge said with a shudder.  **“I COULD HAVE KILLED ALL OF YOU. . . ALL BECAUSE I COULDN'T KEEP MY FUCKING COOL!”**

“L-LANGUAGE” Blue said slapping Edge lightly on the arm. Edge looked down at him for a second before sighing and rolling his eyes. Blue reached up and made Edge look at him, ignoring him when he tried to pull away. “E-EDGE H-H-HOW D-DO W-WE H-HELP Y-YOU W-WITH T-TH-THAT, W-WITH TH-THE H-HIGH L-LV? B-BECAUSE I-IF Y-YOU K-KEEPING T-TR-RYING T-TO D-DEAL W-WITH I-IT O-ON Y-YOUR O-OWN, P-P-PEOPLE A-ARE G-GOING T-TO G-GET H-HURT, I-INCLUDING Y-Y-YOURSELF, A-AND TH-THAT'S UN-UN-UNAC-UNACCEPTABLE!”

Edge opened his mouth but Blue covered it with his tiny glove hand. “I-I A-AM N-NOT D-DONE Y-YET. I-I W-WANT T-TO KN-KN-KNOW WH-WHAT H-HAPPENED T-TO Y-YOU B-B-BEFORE Y-YOU F-FOUND M-ME. I-I H-HEARD Y-YOU A-AND Y-YOU W-WERE S-SC-CREAMING A-AND I-I D-DON'T E-EVER W-WANT WH-WHATEVER TH-THAT W-WAS T-TO H-HA-HAPPEN T-TO Y-YOU A-AGAIN! S-SO P-PL-PLEASE T-TELL M-ME WH-WHAT H-HAPPENED! WH-WHO W-WAS H-HURTING Y-YOU?”

Edge's jaw almost dropped. Blue had heard him! He looked away from Blue, but he couldn't stop shaking.  **“BLUE, YOU'RE ASKING ME TO TELL YOU SOMETHING I HAVEN'T EVEN TOLD MY BROTHER ABOUT. BESIDES YOU COULDN'T HELP EVEN IF I TOLD YOU. THESE ARE DEMONS I HAVE TO FACE ALONE”**

Blue tightened his grip on Edge's face before pulling him down and pressing their teeth together. Edge went completely rigid for a moment, shocked by the little skeleton’s move, but only for a moment before relaxing and returning the chaste little kiss. “P-PL-PLEASE E-EDGE. L-LET M-ME H-HELP Y-YOU” Blue asked softly as he pulled away. Edge kiss the top of his skull and rubbed the vertebrae in his neck. 

**“BLUE, YOU ALREADY HAVE”** Edge said before heading towards house again. Blue pouted, but couldn't stop from shivering at Edge’s light touch.  **“SORRY, YOU'RE PROBABLY FREEZING”** Edge said carefully shifting Blue to one arm so he could remove his scarf. Blue had never realized how long the scarf was until Edge wrapped him up in it, literally! He bundled nearly all of Blue's body in the red fabric, and Blue had to admit it helped a lot. A good bit of the cold was stopped by the soft fabric. He nuzzled closer to Edge without thinking about it. 

**“Blue!”** Red's panicked voice sounded through the trees, but neither of them could see him.  **“Blue where in the hell are you?!”**

Edge picked up his pace and called out.  **“I'VE GOT HIM BROTHER. HE'S FINE”**

They found Red in the little clearing behind the house. The shorter skeleton ran over to them both concerned and mad.  **“What The Hell Blue! Do You Have Any Idea How Scared I've Been!”** Blue squeaked and hid against Edge, who shuddered slightly. He hated it when his brother sounded like  _ him. _

**“BROTHER, YOU'RE DOING THAT THING AGAIN”** Edge warned rubbing Blue's back. 

“ **What thing. . . Oh sorry”** Red said shaking his head.  **“I really don't notice when I do it”**

**“I KNOW, BROTHER, NOW, LET'S HEAD INSIDE BEFORE BLUE FREEZES”** Edge said letting Red lead the way to the house.  **“WHERE'S STRETCH?”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested in beta reading these chapters, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment down below.


	25. You all need to calm down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Flaming_Awesome_Dragons for beta reading this!

“Blue! Oh thank God you're alright!” Stretch said as soon as the three of them were in view. Stretch was sitting on the couch, and honestly didn't dare get up. Red had warned him that if he tried to get up and go looking for Blue, he was going to throw a fit large enough to put his and Edge's squabble to shame. Stretch couldn't say he hadn't believed him, but Red looked ready to kill when they found out Blue had disappeared.

“Y-YEAH I-I A-AM F-FINE. P-PAPY H-HOW Y-YOU F-FEELING” Blue asked. Stretch shrugged ignoring the soreness in his shoulders. He glared at Edge as the darker skeleton unwrapped Blue from his red scarf. How could he just run off like that? He made Blue feel so bad that he endangered his own life to go find him!

 **“at least you didn't try saying you're fine. I would have kicked your ass if you had tried writing off a concussion”** Red growled as walked over to Stretch. Edge was carefully not looking at anyone as walked over to put Blue on the couch, but the smaller skeleton wouldn't release his grip on Edge's shirt.

“I do actually value my life” Stretch said, making Edge flinch. He didn't have look at Stretch to know he was still getting a death glare.

 **“BLUE, LET GO OF ME,”** He muttered, moving his hand to pry Blue from his shirt. Blue pulled himself closer and grabbed one of Edge's hands in his own.

“C-COULD Y-YOU H-HELP M-ME U-UPSTAIRS, E-EDGE?” Blue asked turning their hands so he could nuzzle the back of Edge's hand. Edge nodded wordlessly and headed for the stairs. Edge missed the disapproving look Blue threw Stretch as they went upstairs. “I-I W-WANT G-GET S-SOME C-CLEAN C-CLOTHES A-AND T-TAKE A SH-SHOWER,”

Edge nodded and went into Blue's room and grabbed a pair of his blue pajamas and then went to the bathroom. He tried to put Blue down on his feet, but the smaller skeleton yelped and nearly fell. **“BLUE! WHAT'S WRONG?”** He asked as he carefully sat Blue down on the edge of the tub part of the shower.

“I-I TH-THINK I H-HURT S-SOMETHING WH-WHEN I-I F-FELL E-EARLIER,” Blue quietly and struggled with the knot in his bandana. Edge frowned as he pushed Blue's hands out of the way and untied the bandana for him.

 **“WHERE DOES IT HURT?”** Edge asked as he helped Blue out of his coat and shirt.

“R-RIBS A-AND M-MY R-RIGHT KN-KNEE,” Blue answered as Edge exposed the lightly bruised ribs. Edge ran a hand over the light blue discolorations on the slender pale bones. Internally wishing he had his healing magic back, he felt so damn useless.

 **“YOUR KNEE HURTS AS WELL?”** Edge asked as he pulled up Blue's right pant leg. The smaller skeleton whimpered and clutched the edge of the tub as the fabric caught slightly on a crack in his patella.

“E-EDGE! C-CAREFUL I-IT'S R-REALLY R-REALLY S-SORE!” Blue cried out shaking as he tried to bite back the sobs building in his chest.

 **“BLUE, THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN TAKE A SHOWER LIKE THIS. YOU CAN’T BE PUTTING WEIGHT ON THIS KNEE,”** Edge said, trying not hurt Blue as he pulled the pant leg back down. The smaller one sighed and leaned over and turned on the faucet to the tub.

“C-CAN Y-YOU H-HELP M-ME I-IN?” Blue asked, blushing a bright cyan. Edge nodded, unsure if speaking would make it more awkward for Blue or not. The tiny skeleton tried keep a brave front as Edge helped him out of his pants and into the tub. He managed to stay quiet as Edge removed his clothes, but yelped when the water got into the crack on his knee.

 **“I SHOULD PROBABLY GO GET ONE OF OUR BROTHERS TO HEAL THAT SHUT”** Edge said and Blue grabbed his arm tightly shaking his head. Edge stared at Blue honestly shocked by the response.

“D-DON’T G-GO. . . P-PLEASE,” He whimpered. He was afraid Edge would just vanish if he let the taller skeleton out of his sight, and he was terrified that once Edge was alone again he'd get hurt again.

 **“ALRIGHT BLUE, I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE SO JUST RELAX,”** Edge said reaching across the tub and grabbing Blue's sponge. The tiny hand slowly released his arm. **“WHY DON'T LET ME WASH YOUR BACK FOR YOU?”**

“O-OKAY,” Blue agreed carefully turning so his back was facing Edge. The taller skeleton paused to remove his own shirt and throw it in the dirty laundry hamper. Blue jumped when he first felt Edge's hands on his bare bones, but quickly relaxed as Edge worked. He gently rubbing soap into the gaps between the vertebrae and across his ribs. If Blue had been a cat he'd have purring right now. “Y-YOU'RE R-REALLY G-GOOD A-AT TH-THIS,”

 **“I USED TO DO THE SAME THING FOR RED, IF MY WORK TOOK ME AWAY FROM HOME FOR A COUPLE DAYS AND WASN'T THERE TO HELP HIM WITH-”** Edge's teeth snapped shut audibly. Blue sighed but didn't bother pressing Edge to finish that sentence. He knew it wouldn't matter if he did or not. **“SORRY BLUE, BUT THAT REALLY IS MORE OF RED'S SECRET THAN MINE. IT WOULDN'T BE FAIR FOR ME TO TELL HIS SECRET,”**

“I-I D-DIDN'T S-SAY A-ANYTHING,” Blue said taking the sponge from Edge as he finished Blue's back.

 **“THAT DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T KNOW THAT IT BUGS YOU,”** Edge said as Blue finished washing himself off. Blue didn't say anything so after a minute Edge pulled the drain and pulled Blue from the tub. He helped Blue towel off and get dressed in his pajamas, before carrying Blue back to his room.

Blue pulled Edge down to the bed with him. “I-I W-WILL T-TALK W-WITH P-PAPY T-TOMORROW M-MORNING A-AND TH-THEN W-WE A-ARE H-HEADING T-TO U-UNDYNE’S O-OKAY?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edge woke up with Blue curled up against his bare chest. The little skeleton had refused to let him leave, even to go get a new shirt. He gently rubbed the back of Blue's skull, watching the other sleep for a few more moments before waking him up. **“HEY, BLUE, CAN I HAVE MY RIBS BACK?”**

Blue groaned and pulled himself closer to Edge, not waking up. Edge shiver lightly when Blue's fingers slid along the groove of his ribs, as Blue shifted his grip. He gently shook Blue's shoulders trying to wake him up. **“BLUE COME ON, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WANTED TO GET UP AND GET TO UNDYNE’S.”**

“O-OKAY, I-I A-AM U-UP,” Blue said but buried his face in Edge's chest and tightening his grip on Edge's ribs. This time Edge shuddered hard enough that Blue noticed it. Edge’s ribs had always been sensitive, in fact when he was younger Red used to enjoy tickling him into a laughing mess while saying **_‘ya need to relax you little bag of bossy bones’_ **. He could have handled tickling, but this wasn't quite the same thing and whether Blue realised he was doing it or not, the teasing was driving him nuts.

 **“B-BLUE, COULD YOU LET G-GO OF MY RIBS”** He tried again a slight stutter happening as Blue moved his hands again. Blue's eyes snapped open once he heard Edge stutter. He pulled his hands away, much to Edge's relief.

“S-SORRY, I D-DIDN'T R-REALIZE WH-WHERE M-MY H-HANDS W-WERE” Blue said embarrassed and blushing brightly. Edge chuckled and sat up pulling Blue up with him.

 **“IT'D BE FINE, IF THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE ANY BETTER, BUT . . .”** Edge shrugged and kissed Blue on top of his head. **“WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT TILL YOU'RE BETTER.”**

Blue’s face was such a bright blue, it could have been mistaken for a lantern. Edge smirked at Blue's flustered face and got out of bed. Blue grabbed his hand.

 **“BLUE? I NEED TO GO PUT SOME CLEAN CLOTHES ON”** he tried to gently pull himself free, but Blue clung on stubbornly. **“BLUE, WHAT'S GOING ON?”**

“I-I D-DON'T W-WANT Y-YOU T-TO G-GET H-HURT A-AGAIN!” Blue squeaked and looked up at him with big blue eyes. “A-AND I-I D-DON'T W-WANT P-PAPY T-TO S-START A-ANOTHER F-FIGHT.”

Edge wanted to tell Blue to calm down, that he was overreacting, but those wide blue eyes stopped those words as effectively as using a bucket of water to put out a single match. He sighed and scooped Blue out of the bed before heading to his own room.

 **“ALRIGHT THEN I GUESS YOU'RE COMING WITH ME”** Edge said as Blue relaxed against him. He smiled genuinely at the little skeleton in his arms, but when he reached the bottom of the stairs it took a slightly pained look. Stretch was sitting in couch glaring at the two of them. **“MORNING. . . STRETCH”**

“Blue? What are you doing up so early? Aren't you still tired?” Stretch asked. It was painfully obvious to both skeletons why Stretch was sitting in the living room. He was trying to make sure that Blue and Edge didn't sneak out behind his back. Blue opened his mouth to tell Stretch off but Edge squeezed his arm making Blue look at him. Edge shook his head just slightly.

 **“HE'S DECIDED I'M NOT ALLOWED OUT OF HIS SIGHT, SO IF I GO SOMEWHERE HE'S DETERMINED TO TAG ALONG”** Edge answered and Stretch glared at him.

“I didn't ask _you_ , I was talking to my brother” Stretch growled, climbing to his feet. Edge flinched taking a step back.

 **“SUDDENLY IT MATTERS WHAT BLUE HAS TO SAY?”** Edge asked calmly rubbing Blue's back. Stretch clenched his fists. **“BESIDES WE AREN'T PLANNING TO SNEAK OUT, I'M JUST GRABBING SOME CLEAN CLOTHES AND BLUE'S AFRAID TO LET ME OUT OF HIS SIGHT”**

“What, is he afraid you'll finish what you started yesterday?” Stretch snapped. Edge cringed nearly dropping Blue.

 **“NO, I NEVER MEANT TO DO THAT”** Edge said in a quiet monotone. Blue stared at him with concern. Edge had started shaking and his eyelights lost their focus a little. Blue was going to yell at Stretch but he caught Edge's silent whisper. **“STOP IT,”** It was low enough that even though he was right next to him he wasn't sure he'd heard it right

“E-EDGE?” Blue called his name, but he didn't really respond. “E-EDGE L-LOOK A-AT M-ME!” Blue nearly shouted but he got no new results. He could only think of one other thing that might help. He moved and a hand to Edge's ribs and started poking them.

 **“WHAT?! BLUE!”** Edge jumped and grabbed Blue's hand. **“WHAT WAS THAT FOR”**

“Y-YOU C-CLOCKED O-OUT F-FOR A M-MOMENT TH-THERE A-AND I-I T-TRIED C-CALLING Y-YOUR N-NAME” Blue said. Edge sighed and moved towards the couch.

 **“SORRY, BLUE”** he gathered Blue's other hand in his one and put him on the couch. He held both of Blue's hands until he could back away without Blue recapturing him. **“WHY DON'T YOU TALK WITH STRETCH, WHILE I GRAB MY CLOTHES? AND I'D LIKE TO TALK TO MY OWN BROTHER FOR A MOMENT”**

“E-EDGE N-NO,” Blue whimpered but didn't dare trying putting weight on his cracked patella.

 **“I'LL COME BACK AS SOON AS RED AND I ARE DONE TALKING”** Edge promised before darting downstairs. Red jumped awake as Edge slammed the bedroom door shut and slid down to the floor.

 **“Boss, what's going on?”** he asked hurrying over to him.

 **“I PROMISED YOU I'D COME TALK TO YOU IF I STARTED THINKING I WAS LIKE** **_HIM_ ** **”** Edge answered wrapping his arms around his knees. **“OR WORSE.”**


	26. Breaking points and warnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch is out and someone else might be in

“P-PAPY TH-THAT W-WAS C-CRUEL!” Blue said glaring at his brother. Stretch returned the look with a scowl of his own. He unfolded his arms to fish out his cigarette box from his hoodie pocket, before remembering he'd gotten rid of all of them when Blue had started having trouble breathing. He dropped his arms and leaned against the stair rail. 

“ _ I'm  _ the one being cruel? That's rich” Stretch said chuckling darkly. “I'm not the one who runs off every goddamn time things get difficult! I'm not the one who snuck out behind my brother's back!” 

“I H-HAVEN'T SN-SNUCK O-OUT O-ON Y-YOU!” Blue growled crossing his arms and his eyelights shrinking down to miniscule points of light in his sockets.

“Oh really? So you told me or Red when you went looking for Edge last night? Because I must have missed it” Stretch replied his own eyelights going completely out. “Do you know what I didn't miss? I didn't miss walking into your bedroom to find you gone. Guess what the first thought was that popped in my head was?” 

Blue remained unmoved by his brother's little tirade, but Stretch didn't give a chance to voice his opinion. “I thought you had dusted! I knew you weren't downstairs and you weren't in room. And I couldn't” Stretch looked away from his brother trying even out his breathing and lower his volume. It was moment before he could continue, but when he did, it was deadly quiet. “and come to find, what had happened was you had gone out to look for that edgy asshole! All because he couldn't just stay put when things got difficult”

“P-PAPY! D-DON'T Y-YOU D-DARE T-TALK A-ABOUT E-EDGE TH-THAT W-WAY! OF C-COURSE H-HE L-LEFT, H-HE D-DIDN'T WANT T-TO R-RISK L-LOSING H-HIS C-CONTROL A-AGAIN A-AND H-HURTING M-ME O-OR R-RED!” Blue said his eyelights going out as well. “I'M S-SORRY I-I S-SCARED Y-YOU L-LIKE TH-THAT. I-IT W-WAS  _ MY  _ M-MISTAKE. I D-DIDN'T C-CONSIDER WH-WHAT Y-YOU W-WOULD TH-THINK WH-WHEN Y-YOU N-NOTICED I-I W-WAS GONE, B-BUT TH-THAT'S N-NOT E-EDGE'S F-FAULT. H-HE W-WAS J-JUST T-TRYING TO M-MAKE S-SURE TH-THAT N-NO O-ONE E-ELSE G-GOT H-HURT!”

“Why are you making excuses for him!” Stretch yelled cracking one of the wooden dowels on the stair rail. Blue froze, Stretch was starting to worry him. “There is no reason for him to be running off like this! We'd be better off if he'd just stay away!”

“Y-YOU'RE WR-WRONG! H-HE'S B-BEEN A H-HUGE H-HELP!” Blue cried pushing himself back into the couch. “I-IT'S N-NOT H-HIS F-FAULT! H-HE W-WOULDN'T R-RUN O-OFF I-IF H-HIS L-LV W-WASN'T S-SO H-HIGH!”

“Well then he shouldn't come back!” Stretch shouted. “he's dangerous!”

“N-NO H-HE'S N-NOT!” Blue denied tears building in his eyes.

“And when you're the one he throws against the wall?” Stretch demanded. “are you going to tell me he's not dangerous then?!”

“Y-YOU S-STARTED TH-THAT F-FIGHT! H-HE N-NEVER M-MEANT T-TO H-HURT Y-YOU!” the tears spilled over Blue's sockets and down his cheeks. “H-HE F-FEELS R-REALLY B-BAD TH-THAT H-HE E-EVER H-HURT Y-YOU!”

“Yeah, and I'm sure he'll feel real bad when he kills you!” Stretch snapped and Blue gasped covering his mouth. 

“H-HOW C-COULD Y-YOU S-SAY TH-THAT A-ABOUT H-HIM! E-EDGE W-WOULD N-NEVER H-HURT M-ME” Blue said around his hands.  

“what the hell do you think is gonna happen when he loses his temper with you!” Stretch stepped towards Blue and smaller skeleton yelped in fear. He'd never seen Stretch so mad before. “It's only a matter of time till that happens and if he threw you around like he did me he'd kill you!”

Red bones shot up between the two skeletons making Blue jump and Stretch growled profanities under his breath.  **“STRETCH, YOU NEED TO COOL IT. YOU ARE SCARING BLUE”**

“I don't need you to tell me how to handle my brother!” He bellowed turning on Edge with left eye a light with magic. 

**“FINE I WON'T, BUT YOU ARE SCARING HIM, SO AT LEAST STOP YELLING AT HIM. I'M THE ONE YOU ARE MAD AT SO DON'T YELL AT BLUE”** Edge had his hands up in the ‘I got nothing up my sleeves’ position, hands opened, raised away from his body and facing Stretch.

“Don't you dare try to play the good guy!” Stretch snarled. 

**“I'M NOT. WE ALL SHOULD KNOW BY THIS POINT I'M NOT A GOOD GUY”** Edge replied before his eyelights flashed briefly to Blue.  **“CALM DOWN BLUEBERRY, ME AND STRETCH AREN'T GOING TO FIGHT, SO PLEASE RELAX”**

Blue nodded slightly, though he stayed wide eyed and tense. He didn't dare look at Stretch. He didn't want to see his normally laid back brother like this. It was wrong! Stretch was not like this. His brother was kind and really cool! And always made Blue feel safer. He peeked at Stretch’s feet and cringed when they turned back towards him. Blue didn't feel safe with Stretch right now. 

“you've got to be fucking kidding me! You're scared of  _ me  _ but not the bastard with 16 LV!” Stretch hissed at Blue, who curled into a tight ball ignoring the complaint from his knee. “Fine! If that's the case be with him! But I'm done with this shit! You can all go to hell!”

“P-PAPY, W-WAIT” Blue cried reaching for Stretch, but the taller skeleton yanked himself free nearly knocking Blue from couch. 

“Fuck Off Sans” Stretch’s voice fell into that spine chilling voice pattern that was distinctly Gaster’s. He shoved Edge out of his way as he left out the front door. “Leave Me The Hell Alone”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**“BLUE, CALM DOWN”** Edge said for the thirty-fifth time since Stretch’s departure. Blue’s crying had hugged the borderline of hysteria for the last ten minutes. 

“B-BUT P-PAPY *gasp* H-HATES M-ME *gasp* N-NOW” Blue sobbed into Edge's still bare chest. Red stood to the side unsure of what to do. He was torn three ways, part of him wanted to help Blue or go looking for Stretch and either try and help him calm down or kick his ass.

**“HE DOESN'T HATE YOU, BLUE. I'M SURE IT'S JUST BECAUSE I RATTLED HIS BRAINS LAST NIGHT”** Edge said rubbing Blue's spine.  **“IF HE'S ANYTHING LIKE ME, THAN HE PROBABLY HAS A HARDER TIME KEEPING HIS EMOTIONS IN CHECK WITH A CONCUSSION”**

**“huh? That might actually explain it. You turn into a complete jackass when you've got a concussion”** Red said moving over to sit by Blue.  **“I didn't even think about it, but you're probably right. You're both still versions of the same person, both Papyrus, so you'd probably have similar reactions to shit like this”**

**“** L-LANGUAGE” Blue whimpered but felt slightly better. “I H-HAVE N-NEVER S-SEEN H-HIM A-ACT L-LIKE TH-THAT B-BEFORE. I-IT SC-SCARED M-ME! A-AND I H-HURT H-HIS F-FEELINGS”

**“HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HIM WITH A CONCUSSION BEFORE?”** Edge asked as Blue started breathing a little more normally. 

“N-NOT S-SINCE H-HE W-WAS L-LITTLE, H-HE S-SLIPPED O-ON I-ICE O-ONCE A-AND G-GAVE H-HIMSELF A C-CONCUSSION O-ONCE” Blue answered before suddenly jumping and looking between Edge and the front door. “P-PAPY I-IS R-RUNNING A-AROUND W-WITH A C-CONCUSSION! H-HE'S G-GOING T-TO H-HURT H-HIMSELF. W-WE N-NEED T-TO F-FIND H-HIM!”

**“whoa, Blue he's probably fine. He has most likely gone to Muffet’s and she'll take care of him. I'll call her and see if he's there, okay?”** Red asked and Blue nodded reluctantly. Red grabbed Blue's phone and dialed up Muffet’s number. (Blue only had her number because Muffet had called him so many times when Stretch had drunk himself too far to walk home) He listened carefully as Red talked to the cheery spider lady.

**“Hey, Muff, I've got a question for ya . . . . Yes that's exactly why I'm calling ya . . . . Huh, Yeah he's got a concussion . . . Him and my Bro got in a fight last night . . . .huh?”** Red looked genuinely shocked by whatever Muffet asked next. He rubbed the back of his neck as he answered. **“Yeah Muff, Edge is fine, thanks for asking. . . Why's Stretch over there? He and Blue got in an argument and he stormed off . . . . Yeah he's probably a bit more . . . I was gonna say confrontational, but yeah pain in the ass works too. . . . Could ya call us when he leaves? . . . Thanks a million, and please keep an eye on him . . . . Thanks, I'll see ya later”**

Red hung up the phone and put it in his jacket pocket before looking at Blue.  **“He's at Muffet’s and she said she'd keep an eye on him, plus she'll get Dogaressa to watch him if he leaves the café. So he will be fine, why don't we head to Undyne’s now?”**

“O-O-OK-OKAY” Blue said the shaking starting at a new pace as Edge wrapped him a blanket and headed for the door. Red headed out and waited for them at the bottom of the stairs, but Edge stopped at the threshold of the house. 

**“BLUE, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO BACK DOWN. I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU BACK OUT OR RUN AWAY ONCE WE GO OUTSIDE, SO ARE YOU SURE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT?”** Edge asked looking down at the terrified Blueberry in his arms. 

“Y-YES I-I-I'M S-SURE” Blue answered hiding against Edge's shoulder as he felt the slightly warm weight of red magic as it weighed down his soul and bones. He listened to sound of crunching snow as they headed for the river person.

**“Three for Hotlands”** Red said as he and Edge climbed in the boat. Blue shivered cuddled closer to Edge as the boat left the doc.  **“So boss, how long we gonna be there?”**

**“I DON'T KNOW, BUT I CAN'T IMAGINE WE'LL BE THERE LONG”** He answered Red sighed and leaned against brother. 

**“Just thinking about that place give me the creeps”** He muttered, both the other skeletons nodded in agreement. None of them were happy to be heading back to that place. The soft whoosh of the river was the only sound after the skeletons stopped talking. 

“ _ Tra la la. Beware of the man who speaks in hands. _ ” the river person suddenly sang making Red jump at the sudden noise. “he is closer than some might think”


	27. What happens at the doctor's

**“Wh-what the f-fuck w-was that”** Red asked cringing into Edge, who was stone stiff. The river person didn't answer just hummed to themselves as the boat docked in Hotlands. 

“ _ Have a nice day _ ” the cloaked figure said as Edge carried Red and Blue out onto the rusty dirt of Hotlands. Both the smaller skeletons were on the verge of hyperventilating as Edge sat them down a large rock. 

**“BREATHE YOU TWO, WE ARE FINE”** Edge commanded kneeling down so he was level with their eyelights.  **“** **_HE_ ** **CAN'T HURT US ANYMORE, WE AREN'T CHILDREN ANYMORE, BESIDES HE'S DEAD ISN'T HE BLUE?”** Edge took Blue out of the blanket and folded it placing it on the rock next to the other two.

“I-I TH-THINK S-SO” Blue said holding the hand Edge used to brush his cheek. “I M-MEAN TH-THAT L-LITTLE GR-GRAY F-FURRY M-MONSTER P-PUSHED H-HIM I-INTO TH-THE C-CORE A-AND N-NO O-ONE E-EVEN S-SEEMS T-TO R-REMEMBER H-HIM N-NOW”

The two darker brothers exchanged a sceptical look with each other before Red spoke. It sounded like Blue was describing a Temmi, which even in their universe was a relatively harmless monster.  **“then what the hell was that about on the boat”**

Blue shook his head and shrugged his shoulders as Edge picked him up.  **“WELL ME AND RED ARE MADE FROM PIECES OF** **_HIS_ ** **SOUL, ARE YOU?”** Blue nodded and Edge continued  **“SO MAYBE THEY WERE REFERRING TO THAT. I'M BETTING THAT BETWEEN THE THREE OF US WE PROBABLY HAVE CLOSE TO** **_HIS_ ** **ENTIRE SOUL”**

**You Are Such A Liar You Know Exactly What Their Warning Was About.**

“O-OH, TH-THAT M-MAKES S-SENSE” Blue whimpered and huddled closer to Edge. Red didn't move from the rock. 

**“Boss mind if I stay here”** Red asked looking away from the other two.  **“I'll watch out for Stretch or something”**

Edge sighed but nodded.  **“WHY DON'T YOU GO TRY AND TALK TO HIM, WHILE ME AND BLUE ARE AT UNDYNE'S?”**

**“Okay, sure thing Paps”** Red sprung to his feet. He grabbed the blanket, but before he could leave Edge grabbed the hood of his jacket. 

**“LEAVE THE CELL PHONE WITH ME AND BLUE. I DROPPED STRETCH’S PHONE IN HIS POCKET WHEN HE STORMED OUT EARLIER”** Edge said as Red fished out the little silver square and handed it over. Edge released his brother and gave him a light shove towards Waterfall.  **“BE SAFE AND CAREFUL, BROTHER”**

**“Will do Bro”** Red reassured him as he headed towards Waterfall. Red couldn't believe he was actually able to walk home through Waterfall and without a cellphone. Back in their universe Red would never have dreamed of that, and Edge would never have allowed it. If Red was too tired to teleport home, he'd be expected to call Edge and have him walk back with him. The fact the his younger brother was allowing this spoke volumes to how safe Edge felt this place was. 

“S-SO I-IT'S J-JUST U-US N-NOW?” Blue whimpered and Edge pressed his teeth to the top of his skull. 

**“YES, SORRY, BUT I WAS HOPING MY BROTHER WOULD CHICKEN OUT BEFORE WE GOT TO THE LAB.”** Edge explained as Blue heard the crunching of dried dirt under foot.

“WH-WHY W-WOULD Y-YOU W-WANT TH-THAT” Blue wondered looking up at him. 

**“SOMETHING HAPPENED TO HIM AT THE LAB BACK IN OUR WORLD, THAT YOU COULDN'T EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE”** Edge answered his expression hardening a little. 

“S-SOMETHING H-HAPPENED T-TO B-BOTH OF Y-YOU B-BACK TH-THEN, S-SOMETHING Y-YOU A-AREN'T G-GOING T-TO T-TALK A-ABOUT, R-RIGHT?” Blue asked.

**“I'VE TOLD YOU BEFORE MY BROTHER WAS INTERESTING ONE. HE WENT THROUGH A LOT WORSE THAN I DID”** Edge said as the lab came into view. 

“Y-YOU A-ALSO S-SAID TH-THAT H-HE F-FOUND O-OUT Y-YOU W-WERE S-SUITABLE F-FOR H-HIS T-TEST” Blue reminded him, growing concerned about Edge. “I-IF Y-YOU W-WANT T-TO L-LEAVE Y-YOU C-CAN, TH-THIS C-CAN'T B-BE A-ANY E-EASIER T-TO Y-YOU TH-THAN I-IT IS T-TO H-HIM”

**“BLUE, THE LAB DOESN'T SCARE ME. I WENT THERE COUNTLESS TIMES AS THE HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD IN MY OWN UNIVERSE. BESIDES IT'S JUST BUILDING. THAT PLACE HOLDS NO DEMONS FOR ME”** Edge rubbed Blue's shoulders softly, and the little skeleton relaxed slightly. 

**Why Don't You Tell Them The Truth?**

“THANK YOU EDGE” Blue nuzzled into the dark leather jacket “I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU STAYING WITH ME.” Blue would press for answers later.

**Are You Really So Sacred To Have Them Know The Truth? Afraid That They Won't See The Difference Between Us Once They Know What Really Happened To Me? Even Your Precious Brother And Beloved Blue Might Leave You.**

**“NOT ANOTHER WORD, THERE'S NO NEED FOR IT”** Edge said covering Blue's mouth as they came to the door of the lab. Edge knocked briskly on the door trying to ignore the sickening voice in the back of his head. When it slid open Alphys was the one at the door.

“Oh, Hey Blue, how are you feeling” the yellow lizard asked, not acknowledging that Edge was even there. She was still bitter that Edge had beaten her so easily when he had first arrived.

“C-CRUMMY” Blue answered though seeing Alphys made his face break into a wide smile. “B-BUT H-HOPEFULLY N-NOT F-FOR M-MUCH L-LONGER”

“Don't worry, Undyne will get you fixed up in no time little punk” Alphys promised before turning to Edge and growled. “And you'd better not do anything to hurt him or there is going to be trouble got it bonehead?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“H-hello S-Sans, E-Edge” Undyne said as the two walked passed Alphys. Blue started rattling as the panic set in. He could already see the shiny grey handle of a drill and smell the burning sterile scent of chemicals. 

“E-EDGE, P-PL-PLEASE I-I TH-THI-MPH” Blue's plea was cut short as Edge covered his mouth

**“WE ALREADY AGREED THAT I'M NOT TO LET YOU BACK OUT ONCE WE LEFT THE HOUSE”** Edge reminded Blue running his thumb along the little one's cheek. Blue whimpered but nodded leaning into Edge's hand when it moved to cup the side of his face.

“Where's our Papyrus? Why isn't he here?” Alphys growled from behind him. Edge shifted uncomfortably, his mind drawing connections between this situation and the last time he'd been in the lab in his universe. When that Undyne and Alphys made him watch the dog pack attack Red. He shook the thought from his head. 

**“BLUE, DIDN'T WANT HIM TO BE HERE, WHILE UNDYNE WAS TAKING THE SAMPLE”** Edge answered as Blue shifted around to get a better look at Alphys.  **“I'M SUPPOSED TO CALL HIM AS SOON AS UNDYNE IS DONE WITH BLUE”**

Alphys gave an unimpressed  huffed at the answer before excusing herself and leaving the lab. Blue frowned at animosity his friend had shown Edge, but didn't get a chance to comment on it before Undyne spoke. 

“S-So sh-should w-we j-just h-hurry a-and g-get th-this d-done?” she asked nervously. Blue wanted to scream and run away; however his knee made running away impossible and before he could open his mouth Edge pressed their teeth together lightly. 

**“I'M RIGHT HERE FOR YOU, SO YOU'LL BE FINE. I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT”** He promised making Blue blush a little. The smaller skeleton nodded each of his eyelights turning into stars. Edge smiled at the adorable look on Blue's face. 

“Y-You t-t-two a-are d-d-d-dating?” Undyne stammered in shock. Blue squeaked and hid his face in Edge's shoulder. He had honestly forgotten Undyne was in the room with them. Edge chuckled a mischievous glint in his eyelights.

**“WHAT DID YOU THINK HAPPENED TO MY SHIRT?”** Edge asked to Blue's embarrassment. Blue jerked straight up and smacked Edge's shoulder. 

“I-I H-HAD N-NOTHING T-TO D-DO W-WITH TH-THAT!” He cried becoming painfully aware of the fact that Edge was still shirtless. “WH-WHY D-DIDN'T Y-YOU G-GRAB A SH-SHIRT B-BEFORE W-WE L-LEFT! Y-YOU H-HAD T-TIME T -T O!”

**“FIGURED SINCE WE WERE HEADED TO HOTLANDS I WOULDN'T NEED IT”** Edge answered before dropping his voice so only Blue could hear. His teeth scraped lightly on the side of Blue's skull as he spoke.  **“PLUS I THOUGHT YOU'D ENJOY THE SHOW”**

“EEEEEEEEP” Blue squeaked blushing his name's sake and trying to hide his face behind his tiny hands. Edge smirk enjoying Blue's reaction. His little Blueberry was just too cute when he was flustered like this. But as adorable as Blue was, this moment couldn't last forever.

**“LET'S GET THIS DONE AND OVER WITH, SO WE CAN GO HOME”** Edge said with a sigh, before heading over to the table Undyne was at. Blue whimpered and clung to Edge's clavicle bones. 

“C-c-can y-you l-lay him o-on th-the t-table, a-and h-help m-me w-with th-the s-st-str-straps?” Undyne asked once they were by the table. Edge laid Blue down and increased the weight of his red magic so Blue couldn't start struggling in a panic. He quickly fastened the leather straps around Blue's ulna pulling them as tight as he could without hurting Blue. 

“E-EDGE, H-H-HANG O-ON! P-PLEASE S-STOP! I H-HAVE CH-CHANGED M-MY M-MIND! I-I D-DON'T W-WANT T-TO D-DO TH-THIS A-ANYMORE” Blue panicked trying to worm his other arm away as Edge held it down and binded it to the table.

**“BLUE, I PROMISED YOU I WOULDN'T LISTEN TO YOU ON THIS ONCE WE LEFT. TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND FOCUS ON THE REASONS YOU AGREED TO THIS. IT'LL BE OVER SOON”** Edge promised taking the time to wipe away Blue's tears. Blue sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm the frantic almost painful beating of his soul. Edge hurried and fastened the straps on his legs and spine. 

“O-Okay, B-Blue I'm g-going t-to st-start n-now” Undyne warned as she reached for the drill. 

**“WAIT, AREN'T YOU GOING TO GIVE HIM SOMETHING SO THIS WON'T HURT?”** Edge demanded grabbing her wrist. 

“I-I w-w-would i-if I c-could, b-but I c-can't g-give h-him a l-local a-anesthetic w-without d-dr-drilling a h-hole f-first, a-and h-his m-magic i-is t-too th-thin f-for m-me t-to g-give h-him s-something th-through h-his s-soul” she stammered, trembling slightly. Even though it wasn't intentional Edge was giving off a terrifying aura right now. 

**“GO GRAB A LOCAL AESTHETIC I CAN GIVE IT TO HIM”** Edge growled gold magic already wreathing his hand. Undyne’s jaw dropped wide open looking at the magic in Edge had summoned. 

“H-How a-are y-you d-doing th-that? Th-That's an a-ar-artificial m-magic, is-isn't? H-how d-did y-you j-just s-summon it, a-and h-how a-are y-you j-just k-keeping it st-stable l-like th-that?” Undyne asked gawking at Edge's hand. “Th-There i-is a wh-whole l-level o-of several ton machines in the core to h-handle a-and st-stabilize a-artificial m-magic th-that is h-half as c-concentrated a-as wh-what's i-in y-your h-hand.”

**“SOMEONE THOUGHT I NEEDED AN UPGRADE”**


	28. Life happens and rarely how you'd like it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of Red's POV and lab stuff.

A small flat stone skipped out over the smooth and gentle stream that ran through Waterfall.

Splish

Splish

Splu-dunk

Red eyelights mindlessly watched the glassy liquid where the rock and danced its last step. Scarred white boney fingers selected another victim for a watery grave as their owner sat cross-legged on bank lost in thought.

 **“how could I just walk away and leave Blue and Paps like that!”** he hissed to himself skidding another pebble over the little stream. **“How could I have been so selfish? I let him go alone and I know he's not okay”** Red clenched his teeth together as he remembered the way Edge had broke down this morning.

 

 **“I PROMISED YOU I'D COME TALK TO YOU IF I STARTED THINKING I WAS LIKE** **_HIM_ ** **. . . OR WORSE”** Edge had spoken to his knees not to Red, who was attempting to pry Edge's skull out of it's hiding place.

 **“Paps, what happened?”** He begged praying that his brother would at least talk to him, since he wouldn't look at him. He wrapped his arms around Edge's lanky frame the best he could and dropped his skull against the back of his brother's head. **“please Bro say something. I can't help if you tell me what's going on”**

 **“BROTHER, WHAT IF I LOSE MY TEMPER AGAIN? WHAT IF I HURT YOU OR BLUE? WH-WHAT . . . WHAT IF I K-KILL ONE OF YOU NEXT TIME”** Edge lifted his skull and looked at Red with unfocused glassy eyelights. He tightened his grip on Edge as his brother started shaking and digging his fingers into the back of his skull again slight. A quiet whimper escaped from his brother. Now Red was truly worried this was not like Edge.

 **“Bro that won't happen. Please don't talk like that.”** Red said trying to pull Edge's hands away from his skull with no success. **“Paps, please stop you're hurting yourself”**

 **“IT HELPS. IT GIVES ME SOMETHING ELSE TO FOCUS ON, SOMETHING BESIDES . . .”** Edge cut off suddenly dropping his head again and shuddering.

 **“Papyrus! You Knock It Off Right Now!”** Red snarled faint gold lines forming in his eyes. Edge's head snapped up as Red yanked his hands down to his side. **“I Don't Ever Want To See You Hurting Yourself! And I Sure As Hell Don't Want To Hear You Making Excuses For Doing It To Yourself! So Knock It The Fuck Off! Just Tell Me What's Wrong Instead Of Clawing Your Brains Out!”**

 **“S-S-SORRY BROTHER”** Edge mumbled dropping his eyelights. Red glared at him a second before he sighed and tried to calm himself down.

 **“Just tell me what's wrong Bro. I wanna help you”** Red's voice was softer when he spoke. **“you said you were hurting yourself to avoid something. What are you trying to avoid?”**

 **“I . . . I'M TRYING TO . . . GOD”** Edge closed his eyes, voice fading to just a whisper. **“I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU ABOUT THIS MONTHS AGO, BEFORE WE EVER CAME HERE”**

 **“Bro, what are you talking about? What haven't you told me about?”** Red asked letting Edge pull him into a tight embrace. Red could feel the uneven shift of Edge's breathing.

 **“** **_HE'S . . ._ ** **I STILL”** Edge buried his face in Red's jacketed shoulder. **“I . . . PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR THIS.”**

 **“Whoa Bro, that's not gonna happen”** Red tried to reassure him.

 **“I . . .I NEED YOU TO PROMISE ME THAT YOU WON'T HATE ME.”** Edge begged, not daring to look at his brother.

 **“Paps, I'm never gon-”** both of them jumped when they heard Stretch yelling. Before Red could even process what was happening Edge had jumped to his feet and was dragging him up the stairs with him. Thus ending the conversation before Red could get any answers.

 

_Sploosh!_

Red chucked another rock into the stream with a heavy splash. What the hell was Edge thinking? What was he so scared to tell him? To tell his own brother? And Why was he afraid that Red could ever hate him?

Red was caught up in his own thoughts, so much so that he didn't notice the large yellow lizard standing behind until she spoke.

“So what are you doing moping around in Waterfall? I thought you skeletons preferred Snowdin.” Alphys said making Red jump and whip around to face her. She was watching with leery concern.

 **“Just wanted to get my head clear before I went and kicked Stretch’s ass for the drama he stirred up this morning.”** Red answered with a shrug.

“Our Papyrus stirring up drama? That doesn't sound like him.” Alphys growled and Red rolled his eyelights.

 **“yeah, yeah, anyway what did ya want?”** Red asked wondering if she was here to pick a fight.

“just wondering why you were moping here in Waterfall, that's all” Alphys growled crossing her arms. “It's my job as Captain of the royal guard to make all the citizens of the underground are well”

 **“Heh, my Bro would've been a lot happier if that was what he had to do as a captain back in our place”** Red said mostly to himself as he turned away from Alphys. **“thanks for the chat, but I gotta go”**

Before Alphys could say another word Red was gone in a weird shimmer of distorted colorless magic. The chill of Snowdin air happily greeted the dampness from Waterfall’s moist atmosphere. He sighed and walked to Muffet’s with his head down. He peaked through the front window and could see Stretch sitting at the bar, one hand pulling the end of his sleeve. Sucking in a deep breath Red entered the café and approached the hoodie wearing skeleton. **“Stretch we need to talk”**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“A-An U-upgrade? Wh-What d-does th-that m-mean?” Undyne inquired turning her head against slightly.

Edge answered rolling his eyelights, as Undyne went to retrieve a local anesthetic for Blue. **“THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE MAGIC DEVELOPED AT THE CORE. THIS MAGIC WAS DESIGNED TO BE WEAPONIZED. IT'S FIRST USE WAS TO ABSORB POISONS AND ADD THAT POISON TO MY ATTACKS WITHOUT POISONING MYSELF. I LATER LEARNED IT COULD BE USED FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES”**

“I-IS TH-THAT WH-WHAT _H-HIS_ T-TESTS W-WERE?” Blue asked looking up at Edge. Undyne looked between the two skeletons. This was the second time she'd heard them refer to someone by a third person pronoun without giving a name.

 **“YES AND NO. IT WAS MORE OF AN UNPLANNED OCCURRENCE THAN ANYTHING.** **_HE_ ** **HAD HOPED FOR DIFFERENT RESULTS, RESULTS THAT MADE THIS A DISAPPOINTMENT”** Edge said watching the metallic magic swirl in his hand.

“w-wait I a-am c-confused. D-Didn't y-you just s-say i-it w-was m-meant t-to b-be a w-weapon” Undyne questioned as she grabbed a small amber colored bottle. “Th-That s-s-seems p-pretty d-destructive on i-its o-own”

Edge shrugged taking the anesthetic from Undyne and dissolving a couple caps full of the medicine in the  gold magic. **“IT WAS MEANT TO BE MORE REACTIVE THAN IT IS WITH ME. I REALLY WAS JUST A CHEAP MEANS OF MASS PRODUCING IT IN THE END.”**

Blue gasped when he felt his right femur go completely numb in a matter of seconds. “TH-THAT F- FEELS R-REALLY W-WEIRD. I C-CAN'T F-FEEL TH-THE T-TOP H-HALF O-OF TH-THAT L-LEG”

“G-good th-then I'll g-get th-this st-started s-so y-you can g-go h-home A-A-ASAP” Undyne reassured him as she grabbed the drill. She selected the thinnest bit she had and twisted it into the drill.

**That's A Bad Idea. As Frail As His Bones Have Become Trying To Drill Into Them Will Shatter Them.**

Edge stiffened and growled under his breathe. **“THEN WHAT SHOULD WE DO, WISE GUY”** But he didn't get a response. Edge _really_ hated that son of a bitch. Anything to try and drive him crazy faster.

“E-EDGE?” Blue whimpered closing his eyes. “C-COULD Y-YOU H-H-HOLD M-MY H-HAND? J-JUST T-TILL I-IT'S O-OVER?”

 **“OF COURSE BLUE”** Edge slid his hand into Blue's as he spoke. **“ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ASK. I'D DO ANYTHING FOR YOU.”**

“TH-THANK Y-YOU” Blue tightened his fingers around Edge’s hand. His breath caught in his chest when he heard the drill whirl to life. Blue's squeezed Edge's hand in a death grip.

 **“RELAX BLUE, YOU'RE FINE”** Edge said rubbing Blue's cheek with his free hand. **“EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKA-”**

_Vreee-mmmpht. . ._

_CRACK!_

**“SHIT!”** both Edge and Undyne yelled, though Edge's was much louder. Blue tried to look up to see what had happened, but Edge covered his eyes and pushed his head back down. Edge's voice was mostly even though a tiny bit of horror was seeping through his control. **“DON'T LOOK, BLUE. YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE”**

**What Did I Tell You A-P2? You Should Have Listened Before.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you see mistakes or errors go ahead and tell me so I can fix them.


	29. Fears confirmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red has one hell of a temper so Stretch can barely get a word in Edge-wise  
> (Yes cheesy pun is cheesy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big shout out for Flaming_Awesome_Dragons for beta reading this! They were a big help!

“What the hell do you want to talk about?” Stretch snapped running a finger around the edge of a glass cup of water. At least he wasn't drunk, Red thought to himself as he hopped up next to him.

 **“How about we start with you telling Blue to fuck off?”** He asked, making Stretch flinch, but the taller skeleton said nothing. **“he cried his eyes out for over ten minutes. Doesn't that bug you even a little?”**

“Not as much as the fact he was scared of me, but never once been frightened by your brother” Stretch said tilting his cup so that it was balanced on the right bottom side of its rim.

 **“Of Course he's not scared of my Bro. He's tried very hard not to give Blue a reason to be scared of him.”** Red pointed out staring at the balanced cup while Stretch put his hands in his hoodie pocket. **“he really cares about Blue, and he cares about you too.”**

“Heh, yeah right, that's a good one” Stretch as dropped his chin to bar counter, watching how the light was bent in the water cup.

 **“Stretch he's been tearing himself apart for hurting you, and I mean that literally. His skull is covered in scratches that he's given himself.”** Red dug his claws into the well worn wood of the counter. Stretch raised a brow bone at Red troubled expression.

“You mean to tell he's been hurting himself, just because he hurt me?” Stretch asked with something a little stronger than skepticism in his voice.

 **“I don't know if it's just because of you, or if that was just the last straw, he won't tell me”** Red said before shaking his head.

“of course he won't tell you. None of you guys ever tell anyone anything” Stretch muttered. Red grabbed the front of his hoodie harshly and yanked him down so they at eye level.

 **“Do you really want to hear about how that sick son of bitch kicked us around, probed us, cut us open and put God knows what into us?”** Red hissed in his face. He was honestly hurt that Stretch could say that. He'd tried to talk about this with him once, despite what Blue had wanted. Clearly it hadn't meant much, **“We were goddamn tools to him and he did whatever the hell he wanted with us! Sorry if not wanting to relive a time when we went through hell is a bit inconvenient to you Stretch! But I guess if you want to see what I mean I'll fucking show you!”**

Before Stretch could even say a thing they weren't in Muffet’s anymore. They were standing in the middle of a clearing in the woods. It was destroyed. Fresh snow laid in uneven bumps and ruts hinting at the damaged ground beneath. Trees were singed and fallen over, at least that was the for the case trees that were in identifiable pieces. Scattered chunks of bark and wood littered the entire clearing.

 **“that sadistic bastard wanted to make us into the perfect human killing weapons.”** Red snarled at Stretch letting of his hoodie and gesturing to the clearing. **“What do you think? Did he make us into strong enough weapons?”**

Stretch’s jaw dropped as he around looked the clearing. “You guys did all of this?” his voice was stunned and quiet as he tried gauged the level of destruction. Edge had to responsible for most of this.

 **“no, I did all of this myself”** Red snapped, shocking Stretch yet further. **“This is what I did on that** **_walk_ ** **me and Bro went on the other day. He only came with to make sure I didn't hurt anyone. That's where the bruises can from. He was holding me down so no one got hurt!”**

“how did. . . How can you do this much damage” Stretch couldn't quite believe that Red had done all of this.

 **“weapons are made to destroy things, it's what we’re good at,”** Red said with a bit of dark humor in his voice.

“Stop saying that! You are not a weapon! You're a living breathing monster,” Stretch snapped turning to face Red. He was shocked to see the dark look Red was giving him.

 **“Oh really? Cause the way you've been carrying on about how dangerous my Bro is says otherwise,”** Red stabbed a finger into Stretch’s chest as he spoke. **“Your constant picking at how he handles things has him questioning rather he's anything more than the tool that prick fucking wanted him to be!”**

“he doesn't handle things, he just runs away!” Stretch replied, grabbing Red's hand and pulling it away from him.

 **“would you rather he fucking snap and do this,”** he pointed to clearing in case there was any confusion as to what he meant, **“where somebody could get hurt? My brother knows his limits! He knows when he needs to step away a hell of a lot better than I do! And if you don't promise to lay off him we are gonna leave! He's at his fucking breaking point and I won't lose him like that again!”**

Stretch reeled back shocked at Red’s threat to leave. But that wasn't the only bit to catch his attention. “Again? What the hell does that mean?”

Red crossed his arms and glared at Stretch. **“It means that he's lost it before.”** Red sighed and pinched the bone between his eyes. **“remember when we first came here, and my eye socket was injured?”**

“Yeah, Edge cracked it the first time and then the dog pack from your universe attacked and it got injured again” Stretch answered, not sure where this was going.

 **“That's not exactly how it happened, the dog pack did try to attack me, but Paps got there before they could lay a finger on me. He dusted them for it, and that raised his LV again”** Red shuddered gripping the top of his own arms. **“That was the worse thing that I have ever been through. Seeing my little brother like that, seeing how he forgot who** **_he_ ** **was and forgot who I was. He tried to kill me, he was that far gone.”**

“He did that to you twice?” Stretch asked appalled at the thought of Edge trying to kill Red, on too many levels.

 **“No, I did it to myself,”** Red said as hand tracing the scar on his socket. **“It was a calculated risk, I knew that if he was still there at all, he'd stop if he saw me injured.”**

“That was a stupid risk! He could have killed you!” Stretch nearly yelled, though he tried to keep his volume down.

 **“not if he was still there, and if he wasn't, I didn't care if he killed me.”** Red answered, closing his eyes. **“If Paps was still there he'd have no choice but to stop.** **_He_ ** **fucked with my brother's head shortly after** **_He_ ** **realized that Paps could be used for** ** _His_ ** **tests. My Bro had always been protective of me, but** **_He_ ** **turned it into a compulsion. It was a way to keep Paps in line, if my Bro was becoming too difficult to handle all** **_He_ ** **would have to do is threaten to harm me and Paps stopped.** **_He_ ** **also wanted Paps to act as my shield since I have such low HP and I'm meant to be a weapon.** **_He_ ** **couldn't have a shield that might hesitate to give its life for the object it's supposed to protect.”**

Stretch opened his mouth but he couldn't think of anything to say. This was so much more screwed up than he had expected. He shuddered at the thought of any version of this bastard getting his hands on his brother.

 **“So is that enough info for ya or do you also need a demonstration?”** Red asked cocking a brow bone at him. Stretch shook his head quickly, taking a slight step back. Red tried not to notice the fear in Stretch’s eyelights. Tried being the operative word. His soul ached to know Stretch was already frightened of him. **“I . . . Maybe we shouldn't have started dating. You clearly didn't know what you were getting into”** Red couldn't look at Stretch as he spoke. He was spared from have to hear Stretch’s immediate answer by the cell phone going off in his hoodie pocket.

“U-Undyne? What's going on?” Stretch asked nervously followed by a moment of silence. Red jumped when Stretch sudden fell to his knees begging. “Please, no! There has to be something you can do! Please Undyne he's all I've got. . . I don't care! He's my brother . . . No Undyne! Don't. you. dare.” Stretch growled before going silent. Red tried to listen to what Undyne was saying, but couldn't pick up much without getting closer to Stretch, which he didn't want to do right now. Suddenly, Stretch broke down tears falling down his cheeks his voice hitching as he finally spoke. “No, I *sniff* I don't want him to suffer. . . I'll be there as *sob* as soon as possible.”

 **“Stretch? What's going on?”** Red asked, dread and sorrow ripping its way through his soul. Stretch slowly returned the phone to his pocket, but didn't say anything. **“Stretch?”**

“Blue's dying . . . There's nothing that can be done.” Stretch’s voice had disturbingly even tone and his face was almost vacant. “Undyne thinks he might only live for a few more hours”


	30. Golden times are hard times

Blue whimpered at the loud clatter of things being hastily pulled off of a metal tray. Edge's hand still covered his eyes blocking out most of the light, though little veins of it crept through crevices of his boney hands.

 **“UNDYNE DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HAND ME THE GODDAMN GAUZE!”** Edge yelled, but the sound of his voice echoed weirdly in Blue's head, it was like his skull was filled with some kind of dense smoke. It slowed down the interpretation of the words, but didn't stop them from bouncing around inside in his mind. It took him several minutes to work through the daze and remember how to use his mouth.

“E. . . EDGE? I . . . FEEL . . . REALLY WEIRD . . . DIZZY . . . WHAT'S. . . WRONG?” Blue struggled for every word he pulled out of his mind, but Edge only hushed him, saying everything would be alright. “O. . . Okay” Blue sighed to tired to press him further. Edge's voiced sounded again, slightly higher in pitch, but Blue was too lost in the smoke. He couldn't make out Edge was saying and the smoke was getting in his eyes. The bits of light pouring from Edge's hand dimmed into faint pinpoints, then faded to a numbing darkness.

 

 **“BLUE! YOU STAY WITH ME! STAY AWAKE DAMMIT!”** Edge screamed as all the tension left the little skeleton’s body. He pulled his hand away from Blue's eye sockets. They were open, but there was no light in those wide sockets. **“HANG ON, BLUE. PLEASE, DON'T LEAVE ME”**

Edge moved both of his hands to Blue's shattered femur. His red magic worked to compress the broken bone fragments back together, while black-blue marrow started dripping to the floor at an alarming rate. The black wasn't good, Blue's marrow had been dying inside his bones. **“USE YOUR FUCKING HEALING MAGIC!”**

Undyne jumped out of the horror struck daze she'd been in. Her hands started glowing a warm green as she focused on healing the mess of bone and marrow.  A constant babble of apologies spilling from her mouth.

**Huh? He Had To Have Felt Worse Than He Was Letting On. His Soul Was Rejecting His Marrow. Interesting. Too Bad He's As Good As Dead Now.**

**“WILL YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR SHIT”** Edge yelled at him, but also stopped Undyne's constant apologizing. She snapped her jaw shut thinking Edge's harsh words were pointed at her.

When they had done everything they could, Blue was still leaking marrow from long cracks down his femur, but it would hopefully stop on its own soon. Edge stood at Blue’s head stroking his cheek with his thumb.

“H-He's n-not g-going t-to w-wake up f-for a wh-while, wh-why d-don't you s-sit d-down” Undyne suggested as she took a swab of Blue's marrow and put it into a little scope of some kind mechine that was sitting on her desk. Edge shook his head and leaned down kissing Blue on the forehead. It was deadly quiet for a while, but Edge wasn't sure if it only a couple minutes or an hour. Finding that information would require taking his eyes Blue.

“Dammit!” Undyne gasped wiping tears from her eyes. Edge cast a quick glance over his shoulder at her as she buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook with the sobs she tried to keep quiet.

 **“UNDYNE WHAT'S WRONG?”** Edge asked tensely. The scarlet haired fish monster sucked in a deep breath, let it go and sucked in another before answering.

“I w-was h-hoping i-it w-was a-an in-infection o-or s-something I c-could a-ac-actually d-do s-something a-about, b-but . . . I . . . I c-can't d-do a-anything!” She wailed surprisingly loud for the shy monster. Big tears were building in her eyes. “h-his s-soul is re-rejecting his m-marrow. I c-can't f-fix th-that! E-Even i-if I h-had t-time t-to f-figure out wh-what c-caused th-this!”

 **“THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WE CAN DO”** Edge whispered wordlessly pleading with whatever God was out there to somehow save Blue.

“I a-am a-afraid n-not” Undyne whimpered wiping at her eyes. “i-if a-anything w-we j-just sh-shortened h-his l-life. H-his m-marrow i-is th-the ph-physical c-conduit f-for h-his m-magic and w-with it r-rotting th-the w-way it i-is, and th-those h-huge fr-fractures i-in h-his f-femur, th-the ch-chance of h-him g-getting a-an in-inf-infection a-and d-dying fr-from it sh-shoot thr-through r-roof”

Edge sank to the floor his forehead pressing against the table Blue was laying on. He couldn't believe that their attempts to save Blue had backfired so horribly. If only they'd kno- . . .

 **“YOU GODDAMN SON OF A BITCH”** Edge hissed under his breath. **“YOU KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH BLUE, DON'T YOU?”**

**I Have A Theory. We Have Seen This Kind Of Thing Before. Don't You Remember?**

**“NO I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING LIKE THIS! YOU JACKASS”** Edge desperately tried to think of a time he'd seen anything like this, but was coming up blank.

**Well I Wasn’t Foolish Enough To Let It Get this far. Heh you honestly don't remember? It Was Around The Same Time We Discovered That You Weren't A Total Waste Of Time, When A-S1’s HP dropped below 15. Do You Need Me To Refresh Your Memory?**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A-P2 stood less than inch from barrier that kept him and his brother in their cell. A complex fortresses of bones covered A-S1’s side of the room protecting his sleeping brother from the outside world. A-P2 had his eyelights locked on the hallway, waiting with fire like magic burning in his eye. His brother was leaking significantly darker marrow from the horrible holes _he_ had put in his bone. And what was worse than that was the fact his brother's total HP had dropped to 13! If _he_ took his brother today it would kill him. He clenched his fists as he watched the Doctor approach.

 **“Not This Shit Again. A-P2 Do You Ever Learn?”** he growled pinching the ridge of his nasal cavity. He didn't open the cell, the last time A-P2 had decided to jump him, the brat had actually managed to do a good sum of damage. 126 points to be exact.

 **“YOU ARE NOT TAKING MY BROTHER TODAY.”** A-P2 said with irritating confidence. The Doctor folded his arms tucking a clipboard underneath one of them.

 **“I'm Not In The Mood For Your Games. Now Get Out Of The Way And Stop Wasting My Ti-”** he stumbled forward as bone jumped out of the wall behind him. He could already feel the bruise forming on his shoulder. **“Why You Miserable Little Runt. You Are Going To Regret That. A-S1 Can't Save You This Time.”**

A-P2 just smirked not even flinching as the Doctor approached the barrier. **“I'm Sick Of Your Insubordination! You Worthless Piece Of . . . Wait . . . How Did You . . . You Summoned An Attack Through The Barrier. . . How Did You Accomplish That?”**

 **“IF YOU WANT TO KNOW YOU TAKE ME TODAY. YOU LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE.”** A-P2 replied. The Doctor glared at him before flicking his eyelights to A-S1’s still sleeping form.

 **“How Long Have You Been Sustaining All Those Attacks For?”** He asked noticing the rather intricate crisscrossing of both white and red bones.

 **“A WHILE”** A-P2 answered vaguely. The Doctor sighed but opened the barrier.

 **“Fine, Come With Me”** He said stepping back as A-P2 left his cell.

 **“AND YOU ARE GOING TO LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE RIGHT?”** A-P2 asked as he neared the Doctor. He jumped and bit back a yelp when one of the Doctor’s bones struck in the dead center of his chest.

 **“Next Time You Attack Me You Are Dust”** The Doctor warned using a summoned hand to push A-P2 forward. **“Now Start Walking, I Want You Where I Can See You”** A-P2 stumbled slightly as he started towards the test room. A hand clutched at his sternum the delicate bone was throbbing in time with his soul now. **“Now, How Did You Manage To Form An Attack On The Other Side Of The Barrier”**

A-P2 grinned and looked back at him. **“EASY I SUMMONED IT LAST NIGHT WHEN YOU BROUGHT MY BROTHER BACK AND JUST DIDN'T FIRE IT UNTIL NOW”**

 **“You Held An Attack Half Formed All Night? And How Exactly Did You Go To Sleep Without Losing It?”** He was shocked that A-P2 had been able to utilize such a brief window of opportunity. The barrier had only been down for a few seconds, just long enough for A-S1 to step into the cell. He was so caught up in his thoughts that it wasn't till he had to unlock the door to the test room, that he noticed A-P2 hadn't answered his questions. **“A-P2, I Expect You To Answer When I Ask A Question”**

 **“I JUST HELD ONTO IT”** he muttered looking away from the other. Normally answering in such a vague way would result in some sort of punishment, but now that A-P2 had succeed in protecting his brother his exhaustion was starting to show. The Doctor almost laughed at how tired the little brat looked. He was barely keeping his eyes open and he slouched forward slightly. Though he would never admit it the brat was pretty smart. A-P2 had known that he couldn't just look the other way if the brat had found a way around the barrier. It had been a powerful bargaining chip. Plus he already knew that A-P2 had notice his aversion to leaving puzzles or mysteries unsolved, and Dammit if A-P2 didn't use that fully to his advantage.

 **“Go Lay On The Table And Don't Try Any Funny Business”** The Doctor ordered and busied himself with preparing the machine he'd be using for today. He smirked to himself, the brat had made his last mistake, A-S1 would just have to learn to learn without the nuisance he called a _brother_. He grabbed a glass container filled a with a swirling gold mana. This was twice the highest concentration he'd ever given A-S1, perhaps over dousing A-P2 would give him some insight on how to get the results he wanted out of A-S1. If not at least it would shut the loud mouth up.

 **“I Hope You're Ready For This”** he warned as he flipped the level for the pneumatic restraints. He grabbed some gauze and bone paste (a white powder that could temporarily seal holes and cracks in bones) before heading over to where A-P2 laid eyes closed. The corner of his mouth turned down when brat didn't even react to drill being pressed against his femur. A-S1 always started panicking and screaming as soon as the drill came out. **“Let's See How Well You Keep The Tough Guy Act Up By The End Of This”**

Without any further warning he turned the drill on and let the revolutions of the metal bit carve a hole into the brat’s leg. To A-P2’s credit he didn't cry out. His little body went starch stiff but the only sound he made was a subtle hiss as he sucked in a sharp breath. Much to the Doctor's disappointment that was the case for every hole he drilled in the little pest, and he drilled a lot of holes. Three in each femur, two in each humerus and Tibia, one in the ulna, radius, fibula, sternum, and the T18 vertebrae. He somehow found enough determination, in the time it took the Doctor to attach tubes the newly drilled hole and start making the next, to remain quiet through all of it.

With a dissatisfied grunt the Doctor put the drill away and turned to the large machine A-P2 was now hooked up to. The glass container with the gold magic was now attached to a valve at the top, sitting next to it was a larger empty glass jar also attached to the machine through a valve. After turning a couple knobs aand hitting a button on the side, the machine hummed to life. A-P2 shuddered as he felt the marrow get sucked from his bones. Slowly the larger jar filled with crimson marrow, while A-P2 struggled to stay conscious.

Only too late did A-P2 realise letting himself pass out might have been the better option. The machine had been mixing his marrow with the golden mana and now was pushing the mixture back into his throbbing bones. At first only a soft whimpered left his mouth, but that quickly broke down into throat shattering screams. It hurt! It hurt like hell! He thrashed against the restraints praying he could go back to the drill. His bones were burning from the inside out.

A couple hours later and the Doctor sat in his chair staring in shock at the gasping little skeleton still laying on the table. Not only had he survived the injection into his marrow, but he even had handled the gold mana being injected directly into his soul. A-P2’s HP had fallen to 1/120 twenty minutes after he had started the machine but the little brat had clung on to his life and refused let go. This was an interesting development, perhaps A-P2 held more value than originally thought.

 **“Well I Have All The Information I Need From You Today. It's Time To Go Back To Your Cell”** he said releasing the restraints. Disbelief slapped itself across the Doctor's face as A-P2 stumbled shakily to his feet. **“Careful Your HP Is Still Extremely Low. I'm Surprised You're Even Still Awake”**

His vision was blurry and dim, but he'd be damned before he let that white coat wearing bastard carry him back to his brother. He grunted before shambling weakly for the door out of the test room. Again the Doctor walked behind as they made their trek back to the cell. Everything was growing darker when he first heard A-S1’s panicked calls.

**“Brother!”**

**“Oh my God! Bro what happened?!”**

Everything was starting to sound farther away, like he was being pushed underwater.

**_"Papyrus!"_ **


	31. What have you done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this at midnight if you see errors please let me know I will fix them.

**“shit, Stretch, I'm sorry”** Red whispered taking a hesitant half towards him. He wasn't sure how scared Stretch was of him, and he really didn't want to see Stretch run away from him again. But if Blue was dying than he'd at least try to help.  **“if you want I know a shortcut to Hotlands”**

Stretch nodded slowly, before climbing to his feet. “Please Red, I've got to be there for him” Red noticed the faint tremors running down Stretch’s arm as he took his hand. In a blink they were they were standing just outside the Hotlands lab. Stretch pulled them both through the sliding doors. The scene that greeted them was shocking to say the least. Stretch felt like he was going to be sick. The scent of Blue's marrow saturated the air, and pools of it still sat on the floor.

“Oh, th-thank G-God y-yo-you're h-here. R-Red s-something h-happened to E-Edge” Undyne said barely looking up as she changed Blue's bandages.

**“What! Where is he?”** Red demanded, eyelights searching for his brother. He found his brother leaning against the back wall, loosely curled into a ball. He dashed over to Edge dropping to his knees. 

“I d-don't kn-know wh-what h-happened. W-we w-were t-talking about B-Blue a-and h-he s-suddenly j-just sh-shut d-down. H-he h-hasn't s-said a w-word or r-responded t-to a-anything. I h-had t-to h-have N-Napstaton h-help m-me m-move h-him s-so I c-could t-take c-care of B-Blue.” Undyne explained but her words fell on deaf ears. Stretch was standing by Blue holding one of his brother's tiny hands in both of his, and Red was frantically trying to talk Edge out of his catatonic state. Once she gave up trying to talk to either of them, Red's voice was the only sound in the room. 

**“Paps, look at me!** ” he gave a slight pause to see if Edge would respond. Nothing. **“Please just say something! Anything! . . . Brother!”** Red forced his brother to look at him.  **“Paps Please I'm sorry I let you come here alone! Please just snap out of it”** he begged willing the crimson eyelights to flare back in Edge's eye sockets. But all his wishing couldn't reach his brother, wherever his mind had him trapped. Red shrieked in a loud terrified voice that scraped his throat on its way out.  **_“Papyrus!”_ **

Three monsters jumped at the unexpectedly loud and panicked cry. Undyne dropped the dirty bandages she was about to throw out. Stretch had jumped nearly half a foot, and Edge had crushed Red against his chest. Red could barely hear anything over Edge's fast shallow breathing. His ribs all but vibrating as he began hyperventilating.

**“whoa, Paps calm down, you're fine”** Red said at the same time he heard Stretch whisper “holy shit”

Red turned his head slightly trying to see what Stretch was referring to. His eyes widen as he took in the scene around him. Edge had summon a ring of bones around them with a radius close to seven feet. The bones slanted and crossing in an uncharacteristic disarray. There was no pattern, and was in a totally disorganized spread of attacks around them. All of them broken with sharp points and glowing with faint gold.

**“Shit, Paps look at me. We're fine, just try to breathe and relax”** Red instructed lightly slapping Edge on the cheek to get him to focus on him.  **“Breathe. Deep breath in”**

Edge listened shaking as he sucked in as much air as he could and holding it till Red told him to breathe out. Slowly he stopped shaking and the bones disappeared from around them. 

**“SORRY BROTHER”** Edge whispered once his breathing even enough to let him speak.

**“I'm just glad you've calmed down”** Red said pushing back a little so he could get a better look at his brother. Edge sighed and picked Red up as he climbed to his feet.  **“Sorry for letting you come here alone”**

Edge shook his head and tightened his arms around Red.  **“DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME”** Before Red could argue about why he should in fact worry about him Edge turned to Undyne.   **“HOW'S BLUE?”**

“h-he h-hasn't w-woken u-up y-yet” she answered nervously, afraid that if she said the wrong thing he'd shut down again. He nodded walking over to Blue and tracing his cheek lightly. 

**“I SEE, SHOULD HE BE WAKING UP SOON?”** He asked not sure how long he'd been out of it. 

“H-hopefully, h-he's b-been o-out f-for a wh-while n-now” Undyne said as she grabbed a mop and looked for some bleach.

**“HERE LET ME DO THAT”** Edge reached over and took the mop as she found the Bleach. **“I PREFER TO HAVE SOMETHING TO KEEP MYSELF BUSY”** Undyne nodded and left Edge to do the cleaning, mopping up the marrow, before he started cleaning the clutter around her lab. He tossed out old instant noodle containers, and gathered dirty dishes carrying them into the kitchen.

“th-thank y-you Edge. W-Will y-you g-guys be o-okay o-on y-your o-own f-for minute I n-need to g-grab s-some th-things r-real qu-quick” Undyne asked and hurried out the lab door when received a collective nod from the skeleton group. Stretch started rubbing the back of Blue's hand with gentle strokes while Red stood a few feet off to the side. The was as awkward for him as it was frightening. He kept waiting for  _ him  _ to come walking around the corner. 

“MHHHHG ” Blue let out a soft moan as he started coming around. Stretch squeezed his hand and little tighter.

“Blue? Bro you there?” He asked as Blue's eyelights flickered for a second before going dark again. “Sans, please can ya hear me?”

“UGHHHHH” Blue whimpered blinking as his eyelights finally started glowing in his sockets. “E-EDGE? . . . P-PAPY!” Blue gasped as he realized that his brother was the one standing next to him. “P-PAPY I'M S-SORRY! P-PLEASE D-DON'T B-BE M-MAD A-AT M-ME”

To Blue's surprise Stretch just shook his head tears forming in his eyes. “I'm not mad at you Blue. I'm the who's been making an ass of myself. I was wrong, about all of it and about Edge” He said rubbing Blue's phalanges gently in his hands. 

“L-LANGUAGE” Blue chastised before seeking out the tall dark skeleton with his eyes. “WH-WHERE I-IS E-EDGE?”

“I don't know, I think he went to clean some dishes” Stretch answered when he noticed that Edge wasn’t within eyesight.

**“hey boss Blue is awake”** Red yelled, but got no response. Red and Stretch shot each other a confused look. Red hurried over to the kitchen freezing in the doorway. Piled in the skin were a bunch of unwashed dishes but no Edge.  **“Bro where did you go?”** he asked himself as he returned to Stretch and Blue. 

“where is he?” Stretch asked as Red shuffled up to him. 

**“I think he went out clear his head, cause he's not in the kitchen”** Red answered at the same time Stretch’s cell phone went off. 

“What the fuck does that mean, Edge?” Stretch said in disbelief, as he reread the message.

**“what'd he send ya?”** Red asked.

“Y-YEAH, P-PAPY WH-WHAT D-DID H-HE S-SAY?”

Stretch just turned the phone around and showed it to the other two. 

**STRETCH - I KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH BLUE, AND I'M GOING TO SAVE HIM.**

**BLUE- JUST HANG ON A FEW MORE HOURS, THAT'S ALL I NEED. PLEASE DO THAT FOR ME AND KNOW I LOVE YOU. I WOULDN'T BE DOING THIS IF I DIDN'T.**

**RED- I'M SORRY BROTHER,  THIS IS GOING FUCK A LOT OF THINGS UP, BUT I MADE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL.**

**SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING I NEEDED TO DO ALONE.**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**“deal with the devil? What the hell does that mean?”** Red asked nervously. Blue's eyes went wide as he remembered something Edge had said once before. 

“H-HE'S S-SAID S-SOMETHING L-LIKE TH-THAT B-BEFORE” Blue stammered still looking at the phone screen. “H-HE S-SAID IT D-DIDN'T M-MATTER IF I W-WAS D-DYING OR N-NOT, B-BECAUSE H-HE'D  _ M-MAKE A D-DEAL W-WITH TH-THE D-DEVIL _ IF I-IT K-KEPT M-ME A-AROUND”

“so wait he's know away to save you this whole time and didn't say anything?” Stretch demanded looking between the two shorter skeletons. “What the hell kind of deal was it that he waited this fucking long to take it! Hell why didn't he mention anything before!”

**“I don't know . . . It has to be a pretty steep price if my brother was only willing to take it as a last resort”** Red moved closer to Stretch seeking comfort, before he remembered about the stuff that happened in the clearing. He went to move away but Stretch wrapped an arm around him and pulled him tight against him. 

“Think we should look for the bonehead and make he sure isn't about to do something too stupid?” he asked tilting Red's head up. Red pulled his back giving Stretch a harsh look. 

**“What The Hell Stretch I Thought You Were Scared Of Me?”** Red growled stepping away from him. Stretch shook his head and grabbed Red by the arm and pulled him into him. 

“No I've never been scared of you Red. And before you I was scared of you back in the clearing I wasn't” Stretch said kissing the top of Red's skull. “I just realized how bad things were for you. I thought you were going to regret telling me all that. I'm sorry I pushed you to, and for making you think I was scared of you. I swear I'm not.”

**“really?”** Red asked not sure he dared believed him. 

“Y-YOU T-TOLD H-HIM!” Blue squeaked clearly mortified. Stretch sighed and patted Blue on the top of the head. 

“yes Blue he told me, and honestly you should've. I get that is hard to talk about but it would have been nice to know.” Stretch answered trying to make sure Blue didn't get upset. He didn't look well at all. Blue's fragile bones had turned a pale blue grey color, his eyes were slightly hazy around edges and to top it all off he just looked exhausted. “Bro you feeling okay?”

“Y-YEAH, J-JUST A L-LITTLE F-FOGGY” Blue grabbed his brother's hand as he spoke holding it in both of his. “B-BROTHER? D-DO Y-YOU KN-KNOW I-IF U-UNDYNE H-HAS A-ANY P-PAINKILLERS SH-SHE C-CAN G-GIVE ME?”

Stretch and Red gave each other a nervous glance. “Bro are you in a lot pain?” 

“N-N-NO I AM FI-” Blue started to say but gave up his denial with a small cry. “M-MY L-LEG H-HURTS, P-PAPY. P-PLEASE TH-THERE'S G-GOT T-TO B-BE S-SOMETHING T-TO M-MAKE IT ST-STOP”

“shhhh, Blue in sure there is, but Undyne stepped out to get something. We'll see what she can do as soon as she gets back. Okay?”Stretch asked trying to calm Blue down. The shorter skeleton look anything but enthused with answered but nodded his head.

_ BANG! _

All three skeletons jumped and Blue yelped when he jostled his bad leg. Stretch gave the evil eye to Alphys as she stormed in cursing heading straight for the the three of them. 

“Where. The. Hell. Is. He?” she growled coming to a stop a few feet away. Red looked at the other two for clarification but they looked just as confused as he felt. 

“WH-WHO A-ARE Y-YOU T-TALKING A-ABOUT AL- NGHH- AL-ALPHYS?” Blue's voice wavered and cracked as he spoke. He struggled to find a comfortable position but everything hurt and eventually he just gave up going limp. Tears were forming in his eyes though he was trying to keep them at bay. 

“Yeah, Al who are you looking for?” Stretch asked though most of his attention was on Blue. 

“Edge where is that little bastard” she demanded though she flinched slightly when she got a good look at Blue. 

**“what'd ya just call my Bro?”** Red snarled. Stretch put a hand on Red's shoulder to stop him from doing anything rash. 

“What happened? why are you looking for him?” Stretch asked pulling Red closer to him. 

“He killed at least five monster between here and Snowdin and that is just the dust we have found” Alphys crossed her arms watching wearily as Red's eyelight started glowing with fire like magic.

**“You Had Better Have A Damn Good Reason For Accusing My Brother Of This!”** Red warned the armored lizard. The only thing that kept from attacking her was Stretch’s hands on his shoulders. 

“Oh I've got proof alright.” Alphys growled pulling something out of a bag at her hip. “I found something interesting at one of the murder scenes. Tell me does this look familiar” she tossed the object to Red, who just gaped at it as it sat in his hands. “I don't know about you but I only know one monster who owns red and black armor.”

**“he . . . He couldn't”** Red gasped as the broken fragment of black metal lay in his hand. A red line on one side suggested this was a shoulder piece, but more importantly the heavy weight of the glossy metal was distinctly the work of a blacksmith of the royal guard. The armor from Underfell.  **“Bro what have you done?”**


	32. What I wouldn't do for you? Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again thanks to Flaming_Awesome_Dragons for beta reading this chapter
> 
> Also updates are going to slow down. I've got a lot of school work. please don't panic I will have another chapter by Friday.

“Now one of you guys tell me where he is” Alphys growled at the same time Undyne rushing in a panicked look on her face. “Undyne? What's wrong”

“S-someone c-completely d-disabled m-my c-camera s-system, a-and s-s-stole s-something fr-from m-my l-lab” Undyne cried and Alphys was seeing red. She hurried over to the young fish monster and made her sit down.

“tell me what was stolen?” Alphys ordered shaking Undyne’s shoulders and rattling her teeth.

“Umm. . . Th-They st-stole a d-dangerous s-substance. . . Th-they st-stole a h-high c-concentration o-of DT E-Extract.” Undyne stammered. Blue and Red both jumped at the mention of DT Extract. Stretch looked between the two shorter skeletons. They were both shaking and Blue was starting to gasp as he bordered having a panic attack.

“whoa, Bro calm down. Everything will be fi-” Stretch started to say, but Alphys yelled over the top of him.

“Edge is out there killing people! None of this will be fine, unless one of you tells me where the hell he is” She left Undyne's side headed back towards the skeletons. “One of you had better start talking, before someone gets dusted by this psychopath”

 **“My Brother Is Not A Psychopath!”** Red shrieked and Stretch had to hold him down both with blue magic and physically or he would have attacked Alphys. **“You Take That Back You Son Of A Bitch! Stretch Let Me Go! She Isn't Gonna Get Away With Calling My Bro A Psychopath!”**

“Red calm down! Losing your temper isn't going to help anyone!” Stretch snapped before glaring between the two of them. “We don't know where Edge went. He sent us a text message from Blue's cell phone about knowing how to save Blue, and that he needed to do it alone. He didn't say what he was doing or where he went. But Alphys I really don't think you should try to take him on alone. He defeated the equivalent of you in his universe with half the LV he has now.”

“The citizens of the underground are in danger, Papyrus it's my job to protect them and I'm determined to do just that.” Alphys said turning to head for the door.

“A-ALPHYS W-WAIT! Y-YOU A-AREN'T G-GOING T-TO H-HURT H-HIM A-ARE Y-YOU? E-EDGE I-IS A G-GOOD P-PERSON” Blue begged.

“Sans! he's murdered five people here and God knows how many back in the hell hole he came from! He's not a good person!” Alphys yelled. Blue was too good of a person to give a single damn about this asshole! And hearing him defend Edge was pissing her off. “You tell me he's a good person after you have had to give the dust of one of his victims to their sobbing family!”

“N-NO E-EDGE *gasp* I-IS G-GOOD! H-HE W-WOULDN'T H-HURT *cough* A-ANYO-” Blue curled into a ball coughing uncontrollably. Everyone froze at the wet ripping noise in every cough.

“Blue!” Both Stretch and Undyne tried to get Blue to relax and uncurl from his ball. Magic started coming up as he coughed. Cyan magic stained the pillow and blanket that was on him.

“N-Not g-good! N-not g-good!” Undyne muttered and then gasped. Stretch in a panic checked his brother's stats. HP 10/19 . . . 9/18 . . . . 9/17 . . . 8/ 16. And it just kept dropping!

“Undyne! His HP!” Stretch cried as Undyne dashed over to a table covered in glass bottles. She grabbed one and filled a syringe with a murky brown-red colored fluid.

“P-Papyrus p-pull h-his s-soul o-out. A-And c-carefully pl-please” Undyne ordered as she hurried back. Stretch carefully turned his brother blue and removed his soul from his chest. Undyne stuck the frantic soul with the syringe and pushed the plunger down. The results were almost immediate. Blue went completely limp even though his breathing was still labored. “N-No m-more y-yelling and n-no m-more a-arguing a-about E-Edge” Undyne said as she checked Blue's stats. HP 6/13. It was really low, but it wasn't dropping anymore so she relaxed a little.

“Right, sorry” Alphys mumbled shifting feet slightly. “Is he going to be okay?”

“F-For n-now? M-Maybe. I-In th-the l-long r-run . . .” Undyne trailed off as Stretch tried to sob quietly into his hands. Red wrapped his arms around Stretch’s waist keeping himself just slightly more together than the tall skeleton.

“Sorry, I'll take my leave now” Alphys excused herself a single tear falling down her unscarred cheek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edge shuddered trying to rub the pearly white dust off of his pants and hands, but to no avail. He couldn't stop the shudders from running down his back as he walked through the grey tile halls of the true lab. There had to be something here that could tell them what was happening with Blue, or at least prove _him_ wrong.

**Hmmm, Somebody Has Fallen Unusually Quiet? Are You Trying To Find A way Out Of Our Deal?**

The voice spoke up making Edge jump and grit his teeth to keep the yelp locked inside. **“NO. IF YOU CAN KEEP ALL OF MY CONDITIONS THEN YOU'LL GET WHAT YOU WANT.”**

**Heh, Yes I Most Definitely Can Save Blue For You. I Just Need To Know What Exactly The Me Of This World Has Done To Him First.**

**“AND YOU CANNOT TOUCH ANY OF THEM! NOT MY BROTHER, NOT STRETCH AND I SWEAR IF YOU SO MUCH AS LOOK AT BLUE I'LL COME BACK AND MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL!”** Edge snarled pausing as he came to the spot he was looking for.

**Yes, Yes. I'll Leave Them All Alone, And In Return You Surrender Your Body To Me.**

The voice purred happily as Edge pried some of the side paneling off the wall, sending down a shower of white dust. He resisted the urge to jerk back and wipe it off himself. This felt too much like monster dust, granted this was sticky almost like it was wet or melting. **“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT”**

**That Idiot Of A Fish Over Doused Someone On DT And Melted Them.**

Edge didn't respond, didn't know how to respond to that bit of info. Undyne hadn't seemed like the type who would be messing with that kind of thing. He shuddered at the thought of having too much determination injected into his soul.

_Screeeeee . . . Tmmp_

The metal panel fell to floor with a soft ting. Edge’s soul seized in terror but he pushed himself forward into the secret hall, using red magic to replace the panel behind him. His hands were shaking as he continued down the hall that would lead to this Gaster’s secret lab. Only for a Sans could Edge have forced himself to return to this personal hell.

**What Happen To This Place Being Just A Building? Hmmm? Could Have Sworn You Said This Place Held No Demons For You?**

**“THE UPPER PARTS OF LAB DON'T! JUST THIS ONE PLACE”** Edge clamped his mouth shut. He was not going to admit any sort of fear to this bastard. In a couple of minutes, that felt like hours to Edge, they came to the office this Gaster used. Trembling and walking on unsteady legs Edge headed for the filing cabinet in the far corner.

**Oh? So He Was Designing An Artemis Project As Well? Grab The Folders Labeled A-S1, AC-5, DT-2.5 MRC-D3, And ARL-2 . . . Oh And A-P2.**

Edge flinched and grabbed all the files he was instructed to. **“IS GRABBING STRETCH’S REALLY NECESSARY?”** He whimpered. He really didn't want to read what was written about his counterpart from this universe. Hell he didn't want to read any of this!

**Yes, You Were The Key For Finishing The Artemis Project. I Need To Know If This Gaster Had Found This Information So I Know Where To Start. In Other Words We Are Starting With That File.**

Edge nodded and grabbed the file and opened it. Of course it was written in Wingdings. He hated Wingdings but fortunately he didn't have to read it really. _He_ was telling Edge to turn the page before he could decipher the first sentence.

**Grab That Pen And Some Paper. I'm Going To Need Notes If You Expect Me To Keep All Of This Straight.**

Edge did as he was told, doing his best to not think as his hands wrote the letters and words _He_ told him to. And that worked for a while, until they got A-S1’s file. The first page in it was a sketch of Artemis final goal. Edge closed his eyes shuddering at the idea of Blue becoming that thing.

**I Can Not Read If You Keep Your Eyes Shut. Need I Remind You That Blue Is Hanging On By A Thread?**

Edge growled but opened his eyes. The sketch still right there in front of him. Already he could see differences between this design and what his brother turned into. They both turned into skeletal beasts with canine like skulls, but this one was balanced elegantly while Red was more front heavy, with powerful forelimbs that could either tear his victim to shreds or hold him down so he could use his powerful jaws to finish the job.

A-S1 on the other hand was designed to be balanced and light on his feet. There were more notes but Edge didn't even bother to read them and happily flipped the page when _He_ was done. There was a lot more cross referencing once they got to A-S1’s file. Edge was always searching for a new piece of information from one of the other files.

**Well, This Complicates Things. The Artificial Magic This Gaster Used Followed A Slightly Different Flux Pattern Than I Used With You. It Made It Exponentially More Stable But It Also Means Your Magic Won't Be Able To Help Blue, Unless We Somehow Fused It With This Artemis Project’s Magic.**

**“WHAT WOULD WE HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO DO THAT?”** Edge asked looking at the ceiling. Blue's cell phone going off in pocket for about the thirty-fifth time. Nope thirty-six time. Edge realized as he hung up the call and put it back, not shutting it off so Stretch could text him if Blue died before they got everything figured out.

**That's A Highly Unlikely Option. Your Magic Is Already Fused With An Artificial Magic The Chances Of It Taking Another Fusion Are Slim, While there Is A Ninety Percent Chance Of It Killing You.**

**“SO THERE'S A TEN PERCENT OF THIS WORKING?”** Edge asked getting up from the desk and heading to the vault in the back of the office. **“THAT'S A GOOD ENOUGH CHANCE FOR ME.”**

**You Can't Be Serious!**

**“A TEN PERCENT CHANCE OF SAVING BLUE IS HIGHER THAN HE'S GOT IF I DON'T DO IT; WHICH IS ZERO BY THE WAY”** Edge pointed out as he opened the vault to find an electric yellow serum in a small glass vile.

**Wait! Give Me Two More Hours To Figure Out A More Probable Option. If You Talk To Stretch, Maybe He Cou-**

**“NOT HAPPENING! FIRST OF ALL THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL I'M PUTTING ANYTHING ANY VERSION OF YOU MADE INTO STRETCH! SECONDLY HOW EXACTLY DO I EXPLAIN TO HIM HOW I KNOW ABOUT ANY OF THIS SHIT! JUST WALK UP TO HIM AND SAY ‘OH BY THE WAY THAT TWISTED SON OF A BITCH THAT TORMENTED ME, MY BROTHER AND YOUR BROTHER HAS BEEN TALKING TO ME AND WE THINK IF YOU LET US PUT THIS PAINFUL AS FUCK MANA IN YOU, WE CAN MAYBE SAVE BLUE’ YEAH THAT'S GOING TO GO OVER LIKE A LEAD BALLOON. PLUS BLUE DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR STRETCH TO LEARN HOW TO CONTROL THE ARTIFICIAL MAGIC ANYWAY. WE ARE DOING THIS ON OUR OWN.**

**Fine Two Hours To Try And Find A Way That's Not As Likely To Kill You And Me By Extension.**

**“YOU GET ONE HOUR, AND THAT'S IT”** Edge growled going back to the desk and scribing more notes for _Him._ At the the end of the hour _He_ had the chance of survival raised to forty-one percent, and that was with mixing the maximum amount of DT that Edge's body could handle plus revitalizing magic to keep his HP from taking a heavy nose dive.

**This Is Stupid. What Will Your Brother Do If This Kills You?**

**“STRETCH WILL LOOK AFTER HIM. THEY ARE GOING TO NEED THE OTHER IF THIS FAILS, BUT AT LEAST THEY WON'T BE ALONE”** Edge said taking a sort of twisted comfort in knowing that at least Red would be with someone who would know what he was going through if this killed him.

He sucked in a deep breath and held his soul firmly in one hand while the other held a syringe full of the serum they had just created. It was the electric yellow serum from before mixed with a high concentration DT Extract and some revitalizing mana. **“BUT I ALREADY SWORE I AM NOT GOING TO DIE IN THIS PLACE, SO THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN”** With that he stuck the needle in his soul and jammed the plunger down, writhing and screaming on the floor just seconds later.


	33. Agendas

“P-PAPY? ARE Y-YOU THERE?” Blue asked reaching blindly for his brother's hand.

“I'm here Bro. I'm right here” Stretch replied gently taking Blue's hand in both of his. Blue squinted as he opened his eyes. The lights of the lab to bright to be comfortable. “How are you feeling?”

“I H-HURT PAPY.” Blue shifted as he spoke trying make his bad leg more comfortable. “PAPY HAVE TH-THEY FOUND EDGE Y-YET”

“No we haven't seen anything from him yet, or heard from him for that matter the asshole won't answer the phone” Stretch growled. Blue frowned at him when he saw Alphys and Undyne walk in from the kitchen. Alphys had two plates and Undyne carried a single plate.

“Oh Blue you're awake!” Alphys said with relief painted all over her face. “We weren't sure if you were going to wake up soon or not so we didn't dish you up any food, but there's more if you want some.”

“N-NO THANKS, I'M N-NOT HUNGRY” Blue said scrunching his nasal ridge at thought of eating anything. He wasn't sure if it was whatever medicine Undyne was giving him now, or if he was getting worse, but the nausea was back with a vengeance.

“You sure you don't anything Bro?” Stretch asked as Blue closed his eyes. As far as he knew Blue hadn't eaten anything today, so if he wasn't hungry than he . . .

“Y-YEAH, I DON'T TH-THINK I COULD K-KEEP ANYTHING DOWN IF I T-TRIED” Blue answered. Undyne's face fell a little, but Blue spoke up before Undyne could. “WH-WHERE IS R-RED?”

“He went looking for Edge” Stretch replied taking the plate Alphys handed him. “said it was too dangerous for the royal guard to be looking for him alone if he really did go AWOL"

“H-HAS HE HAD ANY L-LUCK?” Blue's voice cracked at the end.

 **“not a damn bit”** Red answered as he teleported straight into the lab. He sighed and faced Alphys. **“the body count is up to seven now”**

“Dammit!” Alphys growled before sitting down to eat her food. “Undyne how long till you get the cameras up again? They might help catch him before he kills the entire underground.”

“ST-STOP IT! E-EDGE WOULD NEVER DO TH-THIS!” Blue snapped trying to sit up to get a better look at Alphys. “E-EDGE IS A GOOD P-PERSON! HE W-WOULD NEVER HURT ANYO-NHHHG”

“take it easy Blue, you shouldn't move around too much. So please try lay still or you're going to hurt more” Stretch said as his brother collapsed back into the bed with his teeth gritted tightly.

“H-HURTS ANYWAY *huff* P-PAPY” Blue muttered, out of breath just from trying to sit up. “I-I AM S-SICK *huff* OF HURTING”

Undyne and Stretch glanced at each other before Stretch dropped his head in defeat. Undyne walked forward and lightly placed a webbed hand on Blue's shoulder. “B-Blue, I. . . I'm s-sorry, but there's nothing left th-that I can try and do to s-save you. I-I can't save you, b-but I can spare y-you the s-suffering.”

“WH-WHAT DOES THAT M-MEAN?” Blue was truly confused, trying to figure out what Undyne was saying.

“I-I could . . . O-over douse you on painkillers so y-you won't have to s-suffer” Undyne explained tears building in her eyes. “Th-That is your choice th-though, n-no one is going to f-force you. It's just an o-option yo-”

_Crack_

Undyne screamed as a red bone shot up from the ground breaking her wrist and knocking her hand off of Blue.

 **“IT SURE AS HELL IS NOT AN OPTION!”** Edge hissed making everyone in the room jump as he seemed to just pop up out of thin air. **“STRETCH WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING! YOU WERE GOING TO LET HER KILL BLUE!”**

“Better than letting you run around and dust half the underground, in your pointless attempt to save Blue!” Alphys yelled jumping to put herself between Edge and the others. It didn't take a genius to see the tall dark skeleton was not alright. His right eyelight was shrunk down to an almost unnoticeable point of light and one of his hands was pressed against his left eye socket. His ribs, shoulders and humerus were covered in deep scratches and white powder covered his black pants. “What did you hope to accomplish by killing all those innocent monsters?”

 **“I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND I HONESTLY”** He had to pause as a shudder shook his entire frame. **“I DO NOT CARE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BUT IF YOU DON'T STEP ASIDE YOU'RE GOING TO GET HURT”**

“don't you dare act innocent when you are covered in dust! We found pieces of your fucking armor at one of the murder scenes” Alphys roared before charging at Edge, several magic axes summoned behind her.

 **“Alphys! Don't!”** Those were the only two words Red got out before his brother summoned and fired three blasters. By the time they had blinked the spots from their eyes, Alphys laid slumped on the floor as still as stone and covered in burn marks.

Edge sighed frustrated but unrepentant. **“I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT, BUT I WASN'T GOING TO WASTE MY TIME TRYING TO REASON WITH HER”** he walked forward as he spoke but both Red and Stretch put themselves in front of him. **“BROTHER, STRETCH PLEASE GET OUT OF MY WAY”**

 **“No way Bro, not till you explain what the hell is going with you”** Red replied stepping closer to his brother.

 **“SORRY BROTHER THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW”** Edge said just before a bone sprung up and struck Red in the chest. The bone lasted just long enough for his brother to notice the gold magic sparking along it's surface. Red staggered then fell to the floor unconscious.

“Red! What the hell Ed-” Stretch cut off as another bone hit him from behind. He stumbled to his knees the edges of his vision already fading. He grabbed Edge's arm when the dark skeleton came to stand in front of him.

 **“STRETCH, I SWEAR I WILL SAVE BLUE”** Edge spoke softly as he leaned down and spoke in his ear. **“BUT IF THIS GETS ME KILLED, PLEASE LOOK AFTER MY BROTHER.”**

Stretch turned his head to look at Edge. It took a moment for his vision to focus on Edge. Edge's left was visible now, with a red gold fire and sparks of electric yellow flashing through it.

 **“TAKE CARE OF HIM”** Edge whispered putting one hand on his shoulder. Stretch wanted to argue, to demand what he meant but everything was turning dark.

“I'll take care of him” Stretch promised before losing consciousness and slumping to the floor. Edge straightened up and looked at Blue. The smaller skeleton was staring at him with wide worried eyes, but hadn't heard the conversation between the two taller skeletons.

“E-EDGE WHY ARE Y-YOU DOING TH-THIS?” Blue whimpered as Edge stepped over Undyne who was also lying unconscious on the floor.

 **“BLUE, I CAN SAVE YOU, BUT I NEED YOU TO COME WITH ME. I DON'T WANT ANYONE GETTING HURT”** Edge said unintentionally avoiding Blue's question.

“WH-WHAT A-ABOUT THOSE OTHER M-MONSTERS?” Blue asked fear shining in his eyes.

 **“BLUE I HONESTLY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU GUYS MEAN. I SWEAR I HAVEN'T HURT ANYONE. HELL I NEVER EVEN LEFT THE LAB.”** Edge said holding Blue's hand.

“TH-THEN WHERE WERE Y-YOU?!” Blue cried tears streaming down his cheeks. “AL-ALPHYS WAS SAYING YOU KILLED P-PEOPLE! A-AND YOU HAD J-JUST VANISHED, AND TH-THAT MESSAGE A-ABOUT MAKING A D-DEAL WITH THE D-DEVIL! I-I WAS SC-SCARED! I-IT SOUND LIKE Y-YOU WERE SAYING G-GOODBYE!”

 **“I WAS, BLUE. I DID MAKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL.”** Edge said wiping Blue's eyes as he spoke. **“SORRY . . . BUT WE NEED TO LEAVE BEFORE THE OTHERS WAKE BACK UP”**

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Blue asked yelping as Edge lifted him out of the bed. Edge carefully cradled Blue against his chest as he headed for lab exit.

 **“WE ARE GOING FOR A** **_WALK”_ **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 **Nnnhg. . . I'm gonna kill Paps when I get my hands on him”** Red groaned as he came to. Alphys was unconscious, though still breathing, and few feet in front of him and Stretch was out on the ground next to him. He shoved himself into a sitting position head throbbing like he had a bad hangover. **“Blue? You still hangi- . . . Oh shit!”**

Stretch was going to kill Edge once he realized Edge had disappeared _with_ Blue. Blue's bed lay there empty missing its top sheet. He decided staying quiet would only add to Stretch’s furry if he found out Red hadn't woken him up the moment he realized Blue was gone; plus, Edge had sure as hell not been in a clear state of mind, Blue could be in danger. Red crawled over to Stretch. He wasn't brave enough to face the amplified wrath of his headache,that was sure to come, if he stood up.

 **“Hey, wake up. Stretch wake up!”** Red spoke loud enough to worsen his headache, but Stretch only groaned not coming around. He tried shaking Stretch’s shoulder and a few other things to no avail. He growled and cussed under his breath, when an idea popped in his head. **“hmmm, wonder if that will really work?”** he muttered to himself before sucking in a deep breath and practically yelling. **“Stretch get up Blue is missing!”**

Stretch shot up like bolt of lightning casting a frantic look towards the bed. Confusion expanded his eyelights, then they narrowed into cold slits as realization clicked into place. “Where Did He Take Blue!” Stretch demanded climbing to his feet unsteadily. _“Where Did He Take My Brother!”_ Stretch screamed at no one in particular. Red shuddered as Stretch passed him heading to Undyne's computer. He knew Stretch was going to be pissed but that didn't make it any less terrifying. “Of course the cameras are still down! When I find him I'm gonna kill him for this!” Stretch slammed his hand down on the computer desk before turning to leave the lab.

 **“I'm coming with”** Red called staggering after him. Stretch grunted his acknowledgement and the two headed out.

“Where do you think he would have taken Blue?” Stretch asked in a short clipped sentence. Red shrugged, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. He wasn't sure why Edge had run off with Blue in the first place. Something told him that his brother had probably wanted privacy but why?. . . Because someone might try to stop him? Was this going to hurt Blue? If his suspicions were right than Edge had probably taken Blue somewhere he knew with absolute certainty they would be undisturbed, somewhere he was familiar with.

 **“I think I know where we should start”** Red grabbed Stretch’s arm and teleported them both to the edge of Snowdin forest. Fresh snow fluttered around them as the howling wind pushed them around. **“I've got the feeling he would have taken Blue into the forest. My Bro has always felt safer under the cover of the forest canopy. Hell back in our world everyone referred to the forest as suicide road, because if a** **_traitor_ ** **to the crown tried hiding in the woods Papyrus would have their dust on its way to the capital by dawn. So if he probably wants privacy or at least home field advantage, if he gets caught”**

“well let's get looking, Blue ne-” Stretch and Red both back stepped as a flash of red magic streaked between them. Red broke out into a cold sweat as the dark clad warrior stepped out from the cover of the trees. Stretch snarled left eye coming to life. “Well that's quite the hello you've got there”

“You've got to be kidding me? You're punk ass is supposed to be any version of Papyrus? God that's hilarious” the warrior responded her crimson hair shining when the light hit it. Dagger sharp teeth glistened as she broke into a wide smile. “Hey guess what Runt? I'm back to finish what I started before you and your brother ran off. Hope you're ready to die.”

Ex-Captain Undyne stood before them a dusty spear in hand.


	34. Who would miss me?

“E-EDGE?  WH-WHY ARE W-WE OUT IN TH-THE MIDDLE OF THE F-FOREST? Blue asked as the taller skeleton walked soundlessly through the trees. He sighed, closing his eyes for a second but didn't stop walking. “E-EDGE?”

 **“I GUESS I HAD BETTER EXPLAIN SOME THINGS TO YOU, SHOULDN'T I?”** Edge looked straight ahead as he spoke. He couldn't look at Blue, not with the words that were sure to leave his mouth during this conversation. **“DID HE . . . DID GASTER EVER TELL YOU WHAT THE ARTEMIS PROJECT WAS?”**

“N-NO, HE N-NEVER DID” Blue answered, trembling a little harder at His name.

 **“I SEE, I WAS HOPING I WOULDN'T HAVE TO COVER EVERYTHING, BUT I GUESS I WILL”** Edge said as the light gently increased. They neared a clearing, still a good fifty yards away. **“THE ARTEMIS PROJECTS WERE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT IN WHAT THEIR END GOALS WERE. ME AND MY BROTHER WERE DESIGNED TO BE WEAPONS TO DESTROY HUMANS ONCE MONSTER GOT TO THE SURFACE. YOU AND YOUR BROTHER, ON THE OTHER HAND, WERE MEANT TO DEFEND THE MONSTERS FROM HUMANS. BOTH THOSE THAT FELL DOWN HERE AND THE ONES UP ON THE SURFACE.”**

Blue tightened his grip on Edge’s bare chest. Edge rubbed his spine, trying to calm the little skeleton. **“HE . . . THE GASTER FROM MY WORLD INFUSED MY BROTHER AND I WITH THAT GOLD MAGIC IN THE HOPES THAT IT WOULD RESHAPE US, INTO THE WEAPONS HE DESIGNED. MY BROTHER WAS ABLE TO BE CHANGED INTO THE FORM GASTER WANTED, I ON THE OTHER HAND NEVER WAS. MY MAGIC WAS TO. . . PASSIVE? I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT NEVER REACTED THE WAY HE WANTED IT TO.”**

**“THE ONLY THING THAT MADE ME OF ANY USE WAS THE DEGREE TO WHICH MY MAGIC ACCEPTED THE ARTIFICIAL MAGIC. I WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE IT AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN MY BROTHER WAS,  WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE KEY IN FULLY ACTIVATING THE ARTEMIS PROJECT’S FINAL GOAL. IN ORDER FOR MY BROTHER TO ENTER INTO THAT OTHER FORM HIS SYSTEM NEEDS TO GATHER A CERTAIN LEVEL OF THE ARTIFICIAL MAGIC, BUT HE BUILDS IT UP SLOWLY, AND BECAUSE HIS MAGIC IS REACTIVE IT CAUSE THE ARTIFICIAL MAGIC IS MORE UNSTABLE.”**

“WH-WHAT DOES THE O-OTHER FORM LOOK L-LIKE?” Blue interrupted, shaking with tears in his eyes. Was this changing part going to happen to him? Did it hurt? What would he look like?

 **“UMM KIND OF LIKE A LARGE SKELETON WOLF, WITH THE BLASTER SKULL FOR YOUR HEAD”** Edge said tightening his hold on Blue. **“THERE WAS ACTUALLY A SKETCH OF WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE IN THE FILE HE KEPT ON YOU. SORRY I DIDN'T BRING IT”**

“W-WAIT I DON'T G-GET IT IF YOU D-DON'T CHANGE FORMS WH-WHAT DEAL DID YOU M-MAKE AND WITH WH-WHO? H-HOW ARE YOU K-KEY TO RED'S CH-CHANGE?” Blue demanded, shaking slightly. Edge sighed, clinking his teeth to the top of Blue’s skull.

 **“I DON'T CHANGE FORMS, BUT I DO PRODUCE A FORM OF THAT GOLD MAGIC WHICH IS MORE STABLE AND ALREADY BONDED TO A NATURAL MAGIC. WHICH MEANS IT HURTS A HELL OF LOT LESS THAN THE RAW FORM. NORMALLY IT TAKES RED A COUPLE WEEKS TO BUILD UP TO THE POINT HE CAN SHIFT. I PRODUCE AND STORE EASILY TWICE THE AMOUNT HE NEEDS TO SHIFT HOURLY.”** He paused just a few yards from the clearing, but Blue didn't even turn to look at it. **“SO INSTEAD OF LETTING MY BROTHER'S RELATIVELY UNSTABLE BUILD UP, I JUST WAIT UNTIL IT'S BUILT UP TO ABOUT THIRTY PERCENT OF WHAT HE NEEDS IT TO BE AND THEN GIVE HIM SOME OF THE ARTIFICIAL MAGIC I HAVE TO FORCE THE CHANGE TO HAPPEN SOONER, WHILE MY BROTHER CAN STILL KEEP HIS HEAD.”**

“B-BUT WHY DID YOU M-MAKE A DEAL WITH S-SOMEONE? C-COULDN'T YOU JUST I D-DON'T KN-KNOW DO FOR ME WH-WHAT YOU DO FOR R-RED?”

 **“BECAUSE THE MAGIC YOU'RE GASTER USED WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE KIND I HAD. IT WAS MORE STABLE AND GAVE YOU A HIGHER DEFENSE THAN MY BROTHER, BUT YOUR ATTACK STRENGTH IS LOWER. IT WAS THE COMPROMISE YOUR GASTER TOOK. BUT THAT DIFFERENCE MEANT MY MAGIC WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HELP YOU, PLUS IT WASN'T TILL I LOOKED AT YOUR FILE THAT I HAD ANY CLUE OF HOW TO HELP YOU.”** Edge said, bringing them into the clearing he destroyed during his many training sessions. Blue’s jaw dropped as he looked around.

“WH-WHAT HAPPENED H-HERE? E-EVERYTHING IS D-DESTROYED?” Blue stammered, hiding his face against Edge’s chest.

 **“I HAPPENED”** Edge answered as he knelt down in the center of the clearing. **“THIS IS WHERE I COME TO BURN OFF EXTRA MAGIC, OR JUST VENT SOME STEAM. I FIGURED HERE WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR YOU CHANGE FOR YOUR FIRST TIME. IT'S NOT LIKE THIS PLACE CAN GET MUCH WORSE”**

“WAIT! YOU DODGED ONE OF MY QUESTIONS! WHAT DEAL DID YOU MAKE AND WITH WHO?! HOW DID THEY KNOW HOW TO HELP ME?” Blue demanded, holding Edge’s hand as tightly in his as he could. “YOU HAVEN'T EXPLAINED WHAT IS GOING ON!”

 **“THEY FUSED MY MAGIC WITH THE MAGIC YOU NEEDED IN ORDER TO SHIFT AND THEY KNEW HOW BECAUSE THEY HAD . . .”** Edge carefully laid down the blanket he had grabbed from the lab before laying Blue down on it. **“DAMMIT** *sigh* **BLUE I DON'T WANT TO YOU TO HATE ME OR BE SCARED OF ME, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S GOING TO MATTER IN THE LONG RUN. . . I MADE A DEAL WITH THE ONE MONSTER I KNOW WHO HAS SUCCESSFULLY FINISHED AN ARTEMIS PROJECT.”**

WH-WHAT! H-HOW, HE'S D-DEAD! R-RED SAID THE T-TWO OF YOU PUSHED HIM INTO THE C-CORE!” Blue started shaking and curled in on himself. Edge felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes as Blue dropped his hand, like he'd been tazed.

 **“WE DID PUSH HIM INTO THE CORE AND MY BROTHER DOES BELIEVE HE'S DEAD. I NEVER TOLD HIM . . . THAT GASTER’S SOUL HAD SOMEHOW . . . LATCHED ONTO MINE. . . SORRY.”** Edge held his hands against his chest, trying to soothe the stinging beat of his soul. Blue didn't say anything, just kept himself curled up while wishing his bad leg could help hide him. **“HE’S BEEN A VOICE IN MY HEAD FOR THE PAST, I DON'T KNOW, YEAR PROBABLY. THE HIGHER MY LV WENT THE CLEARER HIS VOICE BECAME, AND THE HARDER . . .I THINK I'M GETTING OFF BASE HERE. YOU WANTED TO KNOW WHO I MADE A DEAL WITH AND THE ANSWER  IS GASTER. HE FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS WRONG, HE MADE THE SERUM THAT GAVE ME THE MAGIC I NEEDED TO SAVE YOU.”**

“E-EDGE WHAT DEAL D-DID YOU MAKE WITH H-HIM?” Blue whimpered, finally looking at the darker skeleton. Edge looked away, a single tear falling down his face.

 **“IN RETURN FOR HELPING ME SAVE YOU, HE GETS MY BODY”** Edge answered in a quiet voice. **“HE'S NOT ALLOWED TO BOTHER YOU OR OUR BROTHERS. YOU'LL BE SAFE FROM HIM, I SWEAR. NOW I'M GOING TO GET STARTED, WHICH MEANS I'M GOING TO HAVE TOUCH YOU, OKAY?”**

“NO! YOU CAN'T G-GIVE HIM YOUR B-BODY! I-IF SAVING ME MEANS HE COMES B-BACK, THEN LET ME D-DIE!” Blue flailed trying to keep himself out of Edge’s reach. Edge growled and pinned Blue down, carefully so he didn't cause any damage that would drop his HP. “E-EDGE STOP Y-YOU'RE HURTING M-ME!”

 **“UNFORTUNATELY YOU DON'T GET A SAY IN THAT. GASTER ALREADY DID HIS PART, THE DEAL'S DONE AND I'LL BE DAMNED BEFORE I SEE IT GO TO WASTE! I'M NOT GOING BACK ON MY WORD. SO REGARDLESS OF IF YOU LET ME SAVE YOU OR NOT, GASTER IS COMING BACK. WE ARE STUCK IN THE SAME HEAD SPACE FOR FUCK’S SAKE; WE CAN'T JUST LIE TO EACH OTHER”** Edge pointed out with a bit of irritation growing in his voice. In a flash, he rolled Blue over so the smaller was lying on his back. Blue eyes glared at him with in icy blue rings.

“Y-YOU CAN'T GIVE HIM YOUR BODY! HE CAN'T COME BACK!” Blue struggled against Edge’s grip, but got nowhere.

 **“YOU KEEP SAYING I CAN'T DO THAT, BUT I HAVE TO WONDER WHICH ARE YOU MORE WORRIED ABOUT; HIM COMING BACK, OR LOSING ME?”** Edge leaned down lower as he spoke, so his face was only a couple inches from Blue's face.

“H-HIM COMING B-BACK!” Blue spat angrily, sorely tempted to spit in Edge’s face.The taller skeleton’s eyelights had gone completely dark as Blue continued ranting.  “I-I DID EVERYTHING I C-COULD TO KEEP HIM A-AWAY FROM MY BROTHER AND Y-YOU ARE BRINGING B-BACK A WORSE VERSION OF H-HIM! G-GASTER STAYING D-DEAD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO M-ME! A-AND YOU ARE J-JUST GOING TO AAAAAAAAAAAAAH”

Blue cut off as electric yellow magic jolted through his bones. He tried to trash against Edge’s hold, vainly twisting anyway he could. He turned to beg Edge to stop but the taller skeleton spoke first. **“I WOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT IT TOO MUCH IF I WERE YOU. YOU'LL PROBABLY KILL ME BEFORE GASTER EVER GETS THE CHANCE TO HAVE THIS BODY. ACCORDING TO MY BROTHER THE FIRST SHIFT WAS THE HARDEST TO CONTROL. AND IF IT'S ANY CONSOLATION I MIGHT NOT EVEN PUT UP MUCH OF FIGHT AGAINST YOU”**

Blue could only scream as his spine shattered and reformed into something bigger and longer. He dug his feet into the ground as the bones in his pelvis and shoulders started transforming into something new. His screams started turning more and more animal like, till he was just howling in pain. Somewhere in the back of his mind Blue processed the sound of tearing fabric.

Edge watched Blue's HP in horror as it dropped. 6/13 . . . 6/12. . . 6/11.  Blue screamed again. 5/9 . . .5/8 . . . 5/7. And it just kept dropping as the bones cracked and Blue shrieked writhing under Edge’s hands.

Edge was fairly sure he'd given Blue enough magic to complete the transformation. He hoped so, Blue was at 1/1 HP he couldn't afford for this to go on much longer.  The gold magic while it couldn't cause the transformation in Blue, it could focus the electric yellow magic so Edge could force Blue to change faster. He was about to pull away when Blue broke free of his grasp. The razor sharp talons on Blue hind leg caught his bare chest and launched him several yards back as Blue kicked him away. He landed in crumpled heap of bone and snow. He gasped bringing a hand to his ribs. Deep crimson covered his hand as he pulled it away from his chest. Marrow was pouring from the deep gashes on his chest. He checked his HP 823/1285 and at the rate he was losing marrow he was bound to lose another 80 points easily.

“HOOOOOOooooooooooooo” Blue howled, sitting back on his hunches. Only his bright blue bandana remained intact, the rest of his clothed were shredded. Edge slowly climbed to his feet, freezing when Blue turned his head to watch him with narrowed eyelights. The small cyan dots were vastly different from the typical rings that Blue sported. He rose to his four feet, eyes locked on Edge. He was big, extremely big. His shoulders just a little shorter than Edge’s were. He lowered his head, intending to hunt and that was clear.

 **“BLUE, IT'S ME. IT'S EDGE. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?”** Edge spoke calmly, though he started taking a couple of steps backwards as Blue stocked forward. All attempts to reason with Blue went to the wayside the second he heard the faint whistling sound. He dived to the side a second too late. The beam of highly concentrated magic caught his right shoulder as he tried to roll out of the way. He didn't take the time to check his wound before running off for the cover of the trees. The heavy pants and rapid footfalls told him Blue was pursuing.

He aimed for a large boulder using it as a platform to spring into the the tree branches. His hands wrapped around the sturdy branch pulling himself in an upward arch and just out of reach of Blue's teeth. Blue growled and circled the tree, while Edge remained perched up on the branch like a cat. He wouldn't have long until Blue could try to blast him again and he couldn’t outrun Blue in this form. Looking around him he quickly grabbed one of the branches above him and shook the thick layers of snow from it.

Blue yelped and tossed his head back and forth, trying to dislodge the large clumps of snow. He froze when he heard a soft thump and blindly dashed after the sound, blue magic foaming in his mouth as he pursued his prey. Edge cussed under his breath; he had been hoping that would distract Blue a little more. His hand shot and grabbed a thinner tree, using the leverage to make a sharp turn. The loud clatter of bones told him Blue hadn't been able to make the sharp turn. He froze when he heard Blue yelp. Blue only had one HP.

Before he could turn around, Blue blasted him with a blaster beam. The whine Blue had given earlier had hidden its telltale whistle sound. Edge was knocked face down in the snow.

Crack!

The wind was forced out of him as Blue landed on top of him, breaking a couple ribs. Edge couldn't even scream as Blue clamped his maw down on his shoulder maiming several bones. Red bones summoned themselves as Edge’s fight or flight instinct kicked in. The bones slammed into Blue's jaw and knocking him of of Edge. He tried to escape but was rolled onto his back. Blue snarled in his face pinning him against the ground.

 **“BLUE, I CAN'T FIGHT YOU. IF I HURT YOU . . . SORRY”** He coughed, still winded and trying to keep his magic from slipping out of his control again. **“I LOVE YOU BLUEBERRY, SORRY FOR DISAPPOINTING YOU.”** Blue magic dripped on his face as Blue loomed over with a rumbling growl. “ **GUESS THIS IS GOODBYE HUH?”**


	35. The battle begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Flaming_Awesome_Dragons for beta reading this chapter.
> 
> Also my finals start after next week so I'm not going to be posting as often. That being said I have the last two chapters written for this story i will post 36 next Friday and 37 on the 28th of this month. 
> 
> Sorry if you read my other stories I will try to get more chapters out on those but studying for my finals takes priority.

Edge closed his eyes waiting for the final strike. But it never came. His eyes shot open as the weight left his chest. Blue backed up a couple steps shaking his head and whining. Edge slowly sat up half expecting Blue to pin him again. Carefully he got to his feet and Blue whined louder as Edge’s maimed ribs came into full view.

Edge’s reaction had thrown Blue for a loop. Everything in him had prepared him for a struggle but Edge just went limp speaking perfectly calmly. Only one word had stuck out to Blue and it was that old nickname only Edge still used. Blueberry. Those two things had snapped him out of it. He couldn't believe he'd done _that_ to Edge. The front of his ribcage was all but slashed open. The poor abused bones hanging together by a thread. Red marrow staining the thin bones and had even dripped down to his spine.

 **“BLUE. . . ARE YOU BACK?”** Edge panted, still trying to get the wind back in him. One of his hands was pressed against his right clavicle. Blue's fangs had done quite a bit of damage when he had mauled him. Blue whined again wishing he could talk. **“ARE YOU OKAY? I DIDN'T HURT YOU EARLIER DID I?”**

Blue growled, it was the only way he could express his disbelief. He had nearly killed Edge and he was worried he had hurt Blue! Edge watched warily as Blue approached him. A soft rattling sound filled the air. Edge’s bones were lightly clinking against each other as small tremors shook his frame.

 **“BLUE?”** Edge asked watching as the other sniffed at his injured ribs. **“WHAT ARE YOU D-AHHHH”** Edge gasped and staggered backwards as a light blue tongue licked at his injured ribs. Blue yelped as Edge fell and landed on his rear. If the circumstances had been different Blue might have laughed, but right now Edge was in bad shape. 489/1285 . . . That was the lowest he'd ever seen Edge’s HP fall. **“DON'T TOUCH THEM, BLUE”** Edge gasped taking a moment before climbing to his feet.

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

He sighed, but pulled the cell phone out of his pants pocket. **“HELLO, UNDYNE WHAT'S GOING ON?”**

“O-Oh thank God! Y-you answered!” Undyne stammered, her claws clacking on something on the other side of the phone. “E-Edge we found the real k-killer! R-Red and Papyrus are fighting right n-now and they are l-losing!”

 **“WHERE ARE THEY?”** Edge demanded while also grabbing Blue by the bandana, to stop his nervous pacing.

“They are in the clearing between Waterfall and Snowdin. But Edge, be careful, it looks like the killer is the Undyne from your universe” She stammered. Edge’s eyelights went dark red and a smirk crossed his mouth.

 **“SO THAT FISH BITCH FOLLOWED ME HERE DID SHE. GUESS SHE REALLY WANTS TO DIE BY MY HAND”** Edge purred, heading towards the clearing. **“THANK FOR INFORMING ME, AND DON'T WORRY, SHE WON'T BE TAINTING THIS PLACE WITH ANYTHING BUT HER DUST ONCE I GET A HOLD OF HER”**

Before she could say anything else Edge hung up shoving the phone back in his pocket. Blue was left gawking at Edge. At the mention of the Undyne from his world Edge’s whole body language had changed. There was no trace of pain in his features, and something seemed off with the color of his eyes. Blue dashed forward and blocked Edge’s path. Edge was not okay on too many levels. He couldn't just let him go and fight.

 **“BLUE, GET OUT OF MY WAY.”** Edge spoke in a cold flat voice. Blue flinched, but stood his ground. Edge walked forward so he was inches from snout. **“THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT BITCH HAS TRIED TO KILL MY BROTHER, SHE'S GOING TO PAY FOR THAT, NOW GET OUT OF THE WAY”**

Blue shook his head lightly tapping Edge’s damaged ribs, hoping to convey his concerns. Edge was way to hurt to be fighting. He'd be killed if he fou-

_CRACK_

Blue staggered a few steps before his front legs gave out. The gold bone was still stuck through his rib cage. He looked at Edge wide eyed as everything started going black. Edge stepped around him, ignoring Blue's whines. Blue's clawed paw tried to grab Edge but he tipped over with out both forelimbs to support him. With half his face buried in the snow he watch Edge walk away. Leaving him alone . . . In the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Red! Look out!” Stretch yelled using blue magic to throw the exhausted skeleton out of the way of another volley of spears. He was sweating himself and breathing hard. Damnit, did this crazy bitch have a limit? It seemed every time he dodged one attack she had another one already summoned. As if her endless energy wasn't bad enough the armor she was wearing blocked most of his attacks. He couldn't keep this up forever.

Neither could Red, the shorter skeleton was still on his knees gasping for air. Undyne tried to take advantage of the fact, firing more spears at him. Red was too worn out to dodge. Without a second thought, Stretch threw himself over Red, body tense in anticipation of the blow.

_CRACK!_

Stretch’s head snapped up in shock. He and Red were encased in maw of a blaster the ruby tips of spears speckled the inside of the attacks mouth. “What in the. . .”

 **“Paps! You're . . . Oh shit”** Red gasped as his brother walked out of the treeline. Stretch could only make out pieces of Edge’s appearance through the gaps of the blasters teeth, and what he could see wasn't good. Edge was covered in his own marrow, deep grooves cut into his ribcage and the bones of his shoulder.

“Edge what ha-” Red's hand shot up and covered Stretch’s mouth. The shorter skeleton shaking his head frantically.

 **“His LV has gone to his head”** Red warned quietly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. **“So let's not draw his attention on us while we are trapped inside one of his blasters.”**

“Well, let's break it then” Stretch hissed back. Red nodded but grabbed Stretch’s arm.

 **“wait till he and Undyne are really going at. If we just break it now he might turn on us”** Red said as Edge walked towards Undyne. Stretch nodded though he wondered how much help they'd be. Red looked like he was about ready to pass out and he wasn't much better. Plus breaking this wasn't going to be easy. Edge had made this blaster thick so it could take a good deal of damage.

 **“YOU REALLY DO HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE OF GOLDFISH DON'T YOU?”** Edge asked as he approached the dust covered monster. **“YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET AWAY WITH TRYING TO KILL MY BROTHER ONCE AND LIVE, BUT YOU JUST HAD TO GO FOR ROUND TWO, DIDN'T YOU?”**

“geez Papyrus you look like something the cat dragged in” Undyne laughed. “How did you manage to get your ass kicked in this world full of sof-” she cut off as a bone pierced through her shoulder.

 **“YOU SHOULDN'T BE WORRIED HOW I LOOK. IF I WERE YOU I'D BE WORRIED ABOUT HOW YOUR DUST IS GOING TO LOOK ONCE I'M FINISHED WITH YOU”** Edge snarled, firing a barrage of bones at Undyne. And the real battle had finally began. Stretch couldn't believe how proficient Edge was at causing damage. His strikes were so precisely aimed that the armor that rendered Stretch’s attacks useless was pretty much wet paper. His eyes easily finding every fault in the armor plates.

“You still got a bit of fight in you” Undyne gasped as another bone tore into her side. Edge was playing this with more caution than normal. He was already missing a huge chunk of his HP. His plan was to chip off Undyne’s HP from a far, until he could finish this quickly. . . And she wasn't going for it. “Glad that this will still be interesting? But how about we go full on?”

Spears summoned in circle around Edge spinning like a merry-go-round then shooting for the center. He blocked two of them with his own attacks and dodged the other five. **“YOU WANT FULL ON, FINE THEN, BUT YOU ASKED FOR IT”**

Edge summoned twelve red bones with dark pulsing cores and scattered across the field, leaving Undyne nowhere to dodge. Snow and bits of earth were thrown into the air as the bones exploded. Edge smirked as the air cleared revealing an unsteady Undyne. Her HP took quite the drop from that. 1032/2865. Plus, her armor was now riddled with holes, making virtually useless against Edge’s attacks.

“Punk, you're going to pay for that!” Undyne howled, her magic flaring up as she fired a massive wave of spears in Edge’s general direction.

 **“NHHG”** he tried blocking but some of them got through and struck his chest and shoulder. Behind him several of the spears had impaled the blaster protecting Stretch and his brother. If it took another hit like that it would shatter. **“YOU'RE NOT PULLING THAT SHIT TWICE”** Edge growled realising she was still targeting Red.

_P-Ping!_

At nearly the same that Edge grabbed Undyne’s soul in red magic, she turned his dark green. He snarled feeling his legs get weighed down. Dodging was no longer an option but she couldn't just hurl more spears at him. Her magic cut off by his red magic.

“Let's see you get out of the way of this!” She yelled, charging at him with metal spear. He summoned bone knocking the spear up, just before the tip impacted with his sternum. He grabbed the shaft and tried to twist the weapon out of her grasp. She grinned at him before kicking his legs out from under him. The shaft was jammed against his cervical vertebrae cutting off his air and causing the fragile bones to creak as they neared their breaking point. “Hmm I wonder if breaking a skeleton’s neck will kill them or not . . . Let's find out”

The pressure increased despite Edge’s frantic struggles. He didn't even dare remove one hand to throw Undyne off him with red magic. If his resistance lessened even a little his neck would snap. He snarled at her unable to get the air to speak.

"You took everything from me! After all I did to help you! You took my title, my respect and my eye! Now I'm going to pay you back" Undyne growled putting her full wait onto the shaft. "I can't believe I ever thought of you as a friend! You're nothing but a traitor!"

Everything was starting to fade and dim. He wouldn't be able to beat Undyne in a purely strength contest like this. Still he kept struggling as everything moved towards darkness. The strength in his arms was fading and his red magic faded completely away. He closed his eyes waiting for pressure to finish him off.

“What the fuck is tha-” Undyne voice was cut off as she tackled off of the top of Edge in a flash of white. He rolled over coughing and gasping for air trying to reorient himself and figure out what had just happened. His blurry eyes picking up a splash of bright blue at the same time Undyne screamed. “Mercy! Please!”

 **“BLUE! NO!”** Edge yelled a moment too late. Those words would have meant nothing to Edge. He'd have known they were just a trap, but to Blue they'd mean something. Blue hesitated for just a second, but that was all Undyne needed. Spears flew from out of the ground and knocked Blue into the air cracking a couple ribs before he landed harshly with the ground. A cloud of dust puffed up around Blue as his blaster form was replaced with a semiconscious little skeleton.

“You are going to pay for that!” Undyne howled her right arm hanging limp, after Blue had completely ripped it out of socket. More spears summoned and pointed themselves at Blue. “Die!”

_CRACK!_

Everything froze as the snow was stained with marrow.


	36. Grave decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Flaming_Awesome_Dragons for beta reading this chapter.
> 
> READ THIS!!!!!  
> I wrote a side bit that explains why UF Undyne hates Edge and Red. So read it if you want. (I would suggest reading it before this chapter)

Blue stared up at white and red  in a complete daze. His mind still fuzzy from the drastic change in forms. He couldn't tell if he was a small skeleton or the large beast he could now turn into. Everything hurt in the numb and tingly kind of way. Wait! There was something he was forgetting. He'd been doing something . . . Something important. Had it involved Edge? Yeah, it was something about Edge. He tired to remember what it was when something dripped onto his cheek.  Drops from a melting icicle? No, it was warm . . . What was it?

 **“DAMMIT BLUE”** Blue's eyelights darted towards the sound. The sound was familiar. It was coming from the figure that was crouched over the top of him visibly shaking. **“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?”**

Realization hit Blue like Mount Ebott had collapsed on his small form. His eyes were now making out Edge’s face and the red spears sticking out of the taller skeleton’s body, as if he was some sort of oversized pincushion. “E-EDGE?!” Blue's voice cracked as tears formed in his eyes.

 **“I'M FINE BLUE, JUST LET ME FINISH THIS”** Edge said as he dragged himself to his feet.  Blue wanted to scream that he wasn't okay, but he couldn't find the words. Edge’s HP was so low, 6/1285. Blue tried to get up as well, but his mind wasn't sure if he had feet or paws so he couldn't. He almost no motor control. It was like being held down by his own body.

“I can't believe you took a blow like that for a worthless little wimp like th-ACK!” Undyne cut off as another bone struck her the stomach. Edge had summoned a huge bone attack under her in the same instant he'd thrown himself in front of her attack. Her feet weren't even touching the floor. “You're *huff* a dead man walking. I can *cough* can see the cracks growing on your skull”

Edge didn't respond besides dropping the bones her holding up. She fell landing on her knees. “I *huff* I won. You are still going to d-*cough* die at my hands! The *huff* The way you should have back then.”

 **“REALLY? CAUSE I FEEL LIKE I'M THE ONE WHO WON?”** Edge said in a surprisingly gentle voice for what he was about to do.

_Ping!_

“Ahh!” Undyne nearly fell face first in the snow as Edge ripped her soul out of body with red magic. Her arms shaking as she tried to hold herself up. “What are *huff* are you doing”

 **“Bro! Stop! You can't kill her! Your LV!”** Red screamed finally shattering his brother’s blaster. He hurried over towards brother, only to have Stretch pull him back as bone spikes sprung up missing him by inches. **“Papyrus! Don't do this! Please, I'm begging you,”** Red screamed over the wall of bones that now encased his brother and Undyne.

Edge ignored his brother's pleas and instead dug his claws into the cracking soul in his hands, causing Undyne’s breath to catch. **“I WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU GOT HERE, AND IF I HAVE TO TORTURE THE INFORMATION OUT OF YOU BEFORE I DIE. I WILL”**

“I took a boat” Undyne said with a smirk before an ear piercing scream was dragged her throat. Edge’s fingers had torn two large fissures into her soul. Magic leaked out of it as it trembled, trying to shatter but being forced to hold together by Edge’s red magic. Undyne was shaking, trying to keep her defiant glare as Edge’s fingers picked at her soul.

 **“I AM NOT PLAYING AROUND. HOW. DID. YOU. GET. HERE.”** Edge demanded, pulling the edges of the cut to widen it. Undyne curled in on herself as the pain shot through all of her nerves. It was like a fire, running through her entire body.

“A-Alphys! Alphys recreated that *cough* that machine you and your brother made!” She screamed as Edge started pulling the skin like surface off of her soul, exposing the more sensitive raw magic to the open air. Edge frowned stepping closer to the fish monster.

 **“DOES ASGORE KNOW ABOUT EITHER MACHINES? WILL OTHERS FOLLOW YOU HERE?”** Edge question digging his claw deeper and clawing more of the protective coating from the soul. Undyne’s vision went white with pain taking a full ten seconds before she could see again. _He's going to tear my soul apart and make me watch!_ Undyne realized in horror.

“N-No, No he shouldn't! Asgore shouldn't know *cough* know anything about this! Alphys only agreed to help because I *huff* I bribed her!” Undyne answered as soon as she was able. Edge looked at her for a moment gauging her face to see if she was lying. His knees gave out as he decided she was telling the truth. Undyne gasped as his grip tightened on her mutilated soul.

When Undyne looked up at Edge she could she the cracks spreading across his skull. He was shuddering as he struggled to keep himself together. And when she looked at him like this, she didn't see the monster that had betrayed her and took everything from her. He looked just like he had the day they first met. Kneeling down in the dirt half dead from fighting off another monster who had gone after Sans.

Something about him had screamed compassion and loyalty, two things that were in short demand where they were from. It had been extremely endearing watching him look after his brother, when most other monsters would have dusted Sans themselves if they'd been responsible for him. That was why she got him into the royal guard. He'd get killed if he didn’t learn to fight. And he'd been dedicated to the point of insanity.  How many nights had he spent at her house in waterfall after training himself to the point of collapsing? Too many to count, but probably the same number of times he had shut someone up for saying a girl had no right being on the royal guard.

“H-How?” She panted making him look at her. “How could *huff* You feel like you *cough* You won? You are leaving *cough* all of this behind” she pointed towards the little skeleton who had thrown himself into this battle just to protect Edge. Something that never would have happen in their world. No one ever risked their own life for another, people just didn't care for each other like that.

 **“YOU KNOW I COULD'VE SUMMONED MORE BONES TO PROTECT BLUE, INSTEAD OF THROWING MYSELF IN THE WAY”** Edge answered. He was getting light headed as his HP dropped to four. A large crack splitting down his humerus, spilling more marrow to ground. He looked at it mildly shocked that it didn't hurt. He had to use one arm as a prop as the spinning in his head worsened. The clawed fingers digging into the snowy earth underneath him.

“What?” Undyne shook her head weakly, certain she'd heard him wrong. There was no way he just admitted to throwing his life away. “Why *huff* why would you do something *huff* like that?”

 **“I WANTED TO DIE AS MYSELF, NOT SOMEBODY ELSE”** Edge’s answer only added to Undyne’s confusion. Edge sighed before changing topics. **“YOU KNOW I ALWAYS HATED HOW THINGS TURNED OUT BETWEEN US. YOU WERE ONCE THE ONLY MONSTER IN THE UNDERGROUND I TRUSTED AROUND SANS. . . IF HIS LIFE HADN'T BE AT STAKE DURING THAT FIGHT I'D HAVE NEVER BEATEN YOU. I NEVER WANTED TO BE THE GUARD CAPTAIN. . . SORRY THINGS ENDED THIS WAY.”**

“But not *cough* not enough to spare me” Undyne pointed out and Edge nodded. They both watched as tiny cracks split across Edge’s phalanges. Crimson marrow was beginning to pool under him turning the snow a gruesome pinkish red color.

 **“NEITHER OF US KNOWS HOW TO DROP A GRUDGE. YOU KNEW I WAS GOING TO KILL YOU FOR GOING AFTER SANS, AND I KNEW YOU'D NEVER JUST DROP YOUR VENDETTA, NOT AFTER EVERYTHING I DID TO YOU. . . BUT THERE'S NO WAY I COULD JUST LET YOU GO, NOT AFTER NEARLY KILLING MY BROTHER FOR A SECOND TIME.”** Edge answered, looking at mangled soul in his hand. The dark green magic mixing his marrow as they both dripped through his fingers. **“STILL I WON'T MAKE YOU SUFFER ANY LONGER. GOODBYE UNDYNE”**

Edge crushed the soul in his hands, watching as Undyne shattered into dust. He gasped clenching his teeth as his vertebra started to break apart. His HP dropped to 3 and parts of his bones broke off and became dust. The bone wall shattered as his health dropped, adrenaline wearing off now that the threat was gone. Everything blacked out when his health hit one.


	37. Where are you now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the aftermath make to end for a sweet treat!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Flaming_Awesome_Dragons for proof reading this and fixing my awful grammar.  
> And thanks to all of you who have left comments and kudos or just checked this out! You were all super nice and encouraging! Thanks a million for all your kindness!

One week later.

Stretch woke up with Red curled up against his chest. The smaller skeleton’s hands clutching the front of Stretch’s black tank top in a deathgrip. Stretch sighed and stroked the other's skull gently. Red had been sleeping in his room since the Undyne from his world had been defeated. He refused to sleep in the room he and Edge had shared and Stretch refused to let him sleep in the couch.

It was so weird to think Edge wasn't here. It seemed like if he went downstairs right now he would still find loud and dark skeleton in the kitchen cooking breakfast for everyone, or if he climbed in the shower someone would immediately start the washer. God he missed the asshole! Yeah the two had constantly fought but for the most part it was just good natured fun.

Stretch sighed pulling Red slightly closer to him. The house had become deathly quiet after that day. Blue had barely said ten words over the last six days. Stretch shuddered as he remembered that first day. Blue had broke down screaming and crying. Listening to his brother beg and plead for Edge to come back had broke his soul. Blue had been inconsolable with both grief and guilt. Hard as they tried neither Red or Stretch could convince Blue it wasn't his fault. Edge knew what game he was playing, but Blue still felt responsible.

_“IF I HADN'T HESITATED . . . IF I HAD JUST K-KILLED HER THEN E-EDGE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO FIGHT ANYMORE! . . . IF I HADN'T TOLD HIM THAT HE DIDN'T MATTER COMPARED TO G. . . TO GASTER COMING BACK!”_

That revelation had been quite the shock. No one had even known that Gaster was still around in any form, let alone attached to Edge’s soul. That information had hurt Red on so many levels. First off, Edge had never told him, never said a word about it. Secondly, Edge had bartered his life away without even warning Red, but explained everything to Blue. And lastly the third and final thing, Edge hadn't really been trying to stay alive. He had just been trying to last long enough to ensure Undyne’s demise.

Red whimpered slightly as he started to wake up. He nuzzled his head closer trying to hide from the soft light peaking through the curtains. **“Stretch?”** He asked groggily opening one eye socket.

Stretch hummed his good morning before sitting up. Red rolled over and buried his face in the pillow with a low groan. Stretch climbed out of bed and grabbed a change of clean clothes. “I'm going to take a shower, why don't you go get changed?” Stretch offered gently. Red shook his head not bothering to lift it from the pillow. This had become a morning routine. Stretch got up first took a shower, got Red up and dressed, usually got him to at least make it to the couch, then Blue . . .

He sighed not sure what to do about his brother. Blue had completely shut down after his meltdown on the first day. He barely ate, always stayed in bed, and almost never spoke to anyone about anything. He needed to think of something to snap Blue out of this. It just wasn't right, seeing his brother like that. He pushed the bathroom door open still trying to think of a way to _fix_ this.

He quickly stripped and hopped on the shower. He tensed for half a second still waiting for someone to start the water downstairs. It never happened. He paused as the realisation sunk back in. Edge’s absence was something he was beginning to wonder if any of them would get used to. He still woke up every morning expecting to hear Edge in the kitchen, or checking on Blue, or even doing the laundry. When he went to bed finally thinking he had convinced himself Edge was gone, he still woke up every morning still shocked at the other's absence. A week later! And he still couldn't believe that Edge wasn’t coming back. It was almost too easy to think they had somehow pissed off the dark skeleton and he had just vanished off into the woods. That he would just waltz back in here once he'd calmed down and everything would go back to normal. That would never happen though. He scrubbed himself clean and got the hell out of there, trying to escape the memories. Once he was dressed he went back to his room to find Red still curled up on the bed.

“Come on, Red, it’s time to get up” he said walking over and shaking the little skeleton’s shoulder. After a couple minutes of gentle prodding Red finally crawled out of bed and went to change into some clean clothes. Now all that was left to complete the morning ritual was to _try_ and fish Blue out of bed, not that Stretch thought he stood a chance of getting Blue up. He sighed and headed for his brother's room.

“Hey, Bro, you ready to wake up yet?” he asked peering into his brother's room. Blue was curled up with his back to the door. Even from across the room Stretch knew he was awake. Blue's shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. “Bro you okay?”

Blue didn't answer just curled even tighter on himself. Edge’s blood red scarf firmly pressed against his chest. The worn cloth had yet to leave the smaller skeleton’s grasp, though he had to fold it in half whenever he wore it outside of the bed.

Stretch crossed the room and cautiously sat down beside his brother. He rubbed the side of Blue's skull that was exposed to him, hoping to comfort him a little. Blue rolled over and cuddled into Stretch’s side, one hand releasing the scarf to grab onto his brother's hoodie. His eyes were closed trying to stop the tears from their continued march down his face. Feather light fingers wiped them away, as his brother spoke quietly. “Sans, I don't suppose there's any chance you will get up this morning will you?”

Blue shook his head, his grip tightening on Stretch’s hoodie. Stretch sighed and pulled Blue up onto his lap, ignoring his wordless squeaks of protest. “Bro you've got to start living your life again. You can't stop trying because Edge isn't here” Stretch said guilt biting his soul when Blue flinched at the other's name. “Please, Sans, just come downstairs at least.”

“DON'T WANNA” Blue muttered into Stretch’s chest, but Blue nuzzled closer not wanting to let go. Stretch stood up still holding Blue in his arms, when Blue didn't up any fight carried him down to the living room. Red walked up in a clean turtleneck and shorts as Stretch deposited his brother on the couch.

 **“Morning Blue.”** Red grunted not bothering to add the ‘good’ part of that phrase. There nothing good about the mourning and for once Blue agreed. Stretch headed into the kitchen while Red climbed onto to couch next to Blue. Stretch grabbed three bowls and a box of petal puffs, a cereal from the flowey village. He quickly poured the cereal into the bowls, added the milk and carried them into the living room.

“Here Red, Blue” He said as he handed the bowls out. Red took his and quietly started munching on his, but Blue just pushed his around in the bowl. Stretch suppressed a sigh and began eating his own food. Maybe Blue would eat some if he was given a little more time.

 **“Anything you wanna watch on TV?”** Red asked looking at Blue as he spoke. Blue shook his head not looking up from his untouched food. Stretch and Red shared a concerned look with each other. Blue was eating less now, than when he was dying.

“Hey, bro I'll call Undyne and see if we can visit later, but only if you eat something okay?” Stretch asked. Blue nodded and stuck a bite in his mouth. Blue had only been out of the house twice in the last week, and both times were a trip to the lab. Stretch waited till Blue had eaten half of his cereal before pulling out his cell phone.

“H-Hello? P-Papyrus, what did you n-need?” Undyne asked over Alphys yelling in background.

“was wondering if we could all come over later today.” Stretch answered well aware of Blue listening intensely over his shoulder.

“S-Sure, how's Blue doing? And R-Red? Oh and y-yourself? Sorry you are all having a hard time I'm sure ” Undyne was getting more flustered with every word. Stretch sighed and cut her off.

“Undyne we are hanging in there, thanks for the concern, and we'll see ya in a little bit.” Stretch shut the phone and turned to Blue. “Go take a shower then we will leave, okay?”

The little skeleton nodded climbing off the couch and shambling up stairs. Edge’s scarf inches from dragging the ground, as he walked. Stretch turned to Red as soon as Blue had shut the bathroom door. “You sure you don't mind him having the scarf?”

 **“Yeah, if I had it, it'd just make my brother seem farther away.”** Red answered dropping his chin on his knees. **“Seeing Blue in it, kinda reminds me of when my bro was younger. It used to way too long for him as well, but it was the first thing that had been given to him as a gift and before we lived in Snowdin we used it and my coat at night to . . .”** Red cut off hiding his face in his knees. Stretch climbed up next to him pulling him into his chest. **“It still feels like he should be here”** Red whisper throat strained tightly.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I keep expecting him to walk in the door and talk puzzles with Blue, or start cooking or something” Stretch admitted. Red nodded rattling softly as he swallowed back the sobs in his chest. Red had pulled himself back together by the time Blue shuffled back down the stairs.

“OKAY, PAPY LET'S GO” Blue said as he reached the bottom stairs. His hands fiddling with the frayed ends of Edge’s scarf. The scarf clashed with the rest of his clothes. The bright red just didn't match his baby blue shirt or grey sweats.

“sure thing, bro” Stretch said rising from the couch. “Red you wanna come with?”

 **“Sure, it's better than just sitting here by myself”** Red said sounding unsure if that was true or not. He hopped down and the three of them headed out the door. The quiet floating between the skeletons was unsettling as they walked to the river person.

No one said anything the entire way to the lab. Blue and Red both huddled against Stretch’s sides as they approached the sliding doors. They both were still haunted by the memories this place held. Stretch tried to give them a reassuring smile before knocking on the door.

“P-Papyrus, I see y-you guys made i-it” Undyne said with a cautious smile.

“Heh, yeah we made it.” Stretch answered. An awkward moment hung over the little group until Blue finally spoke up, asking the question the other two were avoiding.

“HAS THERE BEEN ANY IMPROVEMENT?” He asked not half hopeful, but half desperate. Undyne’s face fell as she shook her head. Big blue tears formed in the little skeleton’s eyes, hard as he tried not to cry. His whole frame just seemed to crunch under answer. “C-CAN I STILL . . . G-GO SEE HIM?”

“O-Of course Blue, you d-don't have to a-ask” Undyne answered and stepped aside. Blue shuffled forward trying to wipe at his eyes discreetly. Nobody was fooled, but they pretended they hadn't noticed the tears running down his cheeks. Stretch watched his brother shuffle towards the back of the room his hands clenched into fists around the hem of his hoodie. This was why he'd only brought Blue over twice. It might be the one thing that could get Blue out of the house, but seeing his brother so devastated. . . He couldn't stand it!

“Red you gonna stay here?” Stretch asked as he started to follow Blue. The shorter skeleton shook his head.

 **“Yeah, I'd rather not see him . . . not like that”** Red said leaning against the wall, with dim eyelights. Stretch nodded and followed Blue down a hall into a little room. He flinched at the sight that waited for them. No matter how many times he saw it, he doubted he'd ever get used to seeing Edge like _this._

Edge was laying in one of Undyne’s hospital beds. His soul hooked up to a machine. Blue went over and took Edge’s hand with a soft “HELLO” like talking would wake Edge up. He had fallen down, there was no coming back from that. Honestly Stretch wanted to just let Edge dust. He was either going to dust on his own or Gaster was going to wake up and be in control of Edge’s body. He didn't think it was accident that Edge’s HP had dropped so low, and could understand why he would have tried to get himself killed. Still Blue would be devastated if they had just let Edge die and Stretch was nowhere near brave enough to even broach the subject with Red.

“H-Hey Papyrus? M-Mind talking t-to me for a m-moment?” Undyne asked from behind him. He nodded and followed as the fish monster led him to her bedroom. Stretch smiled slightly in all that happened, this was one thing that stayed the same. Undyne’s room was still the huge mess it always was whenever they'd hangout together. The only difference was her desk. It lacked the usually empty ramen cups and instead was covered in papers with strange symbols all over it.

“What's up Undyne? What'd ya wanna talk about?” Stretch asked plopping down on one of her beanbag chairs.

“I-I have been looking at the n-notes that Edge and G-Gaster made while trying to f-figure out how to save B-Blue” Undyne tapped her claws against the top of the desk as she spoke. She almost looked optimist but nervously so.  “D-Did you know the m-mixture Edge injected into his s-soul had a 59% chance of killing h-him?”

“No, I didn't, but Undyne where are you going with this?” Stretch replied shocked at the risk Edge had taken for his brother. Undyne started looking more nervous but started talking.

“I-It's only a theory b-but, if this was so likely to k-k-kill Edge himself and G-Gaster was nothing but a p-parasitic soul feeding off the magic of E-Edge’s soul, it would affect G-Gaster as well. S-So that w-would mean he was e-exposed to so-”

“AHHHHHHHH” They both jumped when Blue screamed. Stretch was on his feet and out the door before the clock’s second hand ticked twice. He made it back to the hall just as Red teleported to the doorway of Edge’s room. The same two thoughts running through both of their heads. _Had Edge just dusted? Or was Gaster awake?_

Blue had started sobbing by the time Stretch reached the doorway. He was forced to stop, because Red had seemingly turned to stone in the doorway. He peered into the room and was frozen right along with Red. _This couldn't be real!_ He thought to himself as Blue kept crying.

 **“HUSH, BLUE. PLEASE, STOP CRYING”** Edge said trying to soothe the little skeleton wrapped up in his arms. Edge was awake! He was awake and himself! Stretch was barely aware of the fact his mouth had fallen open, or that Red had moved. One second the short dark skeleton had been standing next to him, the next he was on the bed also wrapped in a hug.

 **“Don't You Ever Fucking Scare Me Like That Again You Asshole!”** Red demanded tears slipping down his face.

 **“SORRY BROTHER”** Edge said at a loss for what else to say. He pulled the two shorter skeletons closer to him. He was still very confused. How long had he been out for? It felt like a while. Why was his soul hooked up to machine? He wanted that out immediately. He'd had enough things stuck in his soul to last him a lifetime. And lastly why was he the one who woke up? Where was Gaster?

“jeez man, you scared the hell out of us” Stretch said walking over to the group.

“LANGUAGE, PAPY” Blue mumbled face still buried in Edge’s shirt. The other three chuckled Edge shifted so he could rub Blue's back.

Behind the happy skeletons Undyne was smiling. She was beyond relieved to see the dark skeleton was back. She whispered to herself trying not to interrupt the other. “Th-Thank God that w-worked”

 Blue (swap sans)

Hp 1

LV 0

Abilities- Is skillful at healing, teleports, blasters, blue magic, cooking, Blaster form

 Stretch  (swap papyrus)

HP 120

LV 0

Abilities- moderate healing magic, blasters, blue magic, near perfect control of his magic science.

 Red (Underfell sans)

HP 1

LV 5

Abilities- red magic (same as blue, almost) blasters, teleports, science, Blaster form

Edge (Underfell papyrus)

HP 1300

LV 17

Abilities- red magic, blasters, special bone attacks and camouflage (uses magic to hide himself), Gold/Electric yellow magic,

 Undyne (Underswap)

HP 135

LV 1

Abilities- magical science, Lightning magic, mechanics, vast chemical knowledge,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you got ideas or questions about what this ending (or anything that caught your attention throughout the story) please let me know.
> 
> Also now my main story (the one that updates every Friday) will be 'Trade all my tomorrows for just one more yesterday' . . . I need to come up with shorter titles for my stories.


End file.
